I Need You
by Phantasy Star
Summary: Due to a surprising turn of events, Serena and Darien find themselves responsible for four young children with no one else to care for them. Can the two enemies put aside their differences long enough to become loving parents? [Finished]
1. Chapter One

- Summary:

Due to a surprising turn of events, Serena and Darien find themselves  
responsible for four young children with no one else to care for them.  
Can the two enemies put aside their differences long enough to become  
loving parents?  
.

- Disclaimer:

Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, not yours truly.  
.

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
Chapter One  
.

Serena tried to smile through her tears.

"Now, Serena, are you sure you'll be fine?"

Serena pretended to be exasperated, "Mom, it's not like you'll return  
your plane ticket and forget the whole thing."

Her mom laughed sadly, "I know I'm being silly. But don't worry, I trust  
you, I really do. Now, be sure to visit Sammy at his friend often. Oh,  
my big girl is all grown up, living by herself..."

Serena laughed.

"We'll see you in six months," her dad said with a smile, "Take care of  
yourself."

"Don't get into trouble now."

The final call for departure interrupted their farewell. After one last  
hug, Serena watched as her parents disappeared through the gates, boarding  
the flight to America.

Serena sighed, waving even after they had disappeared, already feeling lonely.  
How was she going to survive an entire half year without her parents?

Then she shook her head. 'No, I'm a big girl now,' she thought, 'I'll  
be okay.'

---

Darien sped down the street in his motorcycle, hoping to make it to class on  
time. He knew he couldn't afford to miss another lecture. It would lead to  
a failing grade for sure.

He frowned when he noticed a little old lady on the side of the road, her  
tiny yellow car flashing emergency headlights.

He slowed down and stopped in front of her.

"Hi there," he said, "Having some car trouble?"

"Oh yes, dear," she said with a frown, "But I doubt there's much anybody  
can do."

A little voice called out from the back of the car.

"Grandma, what are we going to do?"

Darien looked inside and smiled when he saw a cute little blonde girl, her  
eyes filled with fear. Beside her sat another girl, with light blue hair and  
big round eyes. Darien decided that they must have been about six years old.

"Let me see here," he said as he knelt down and took a look at the tires,  
"Nope, no problem with those."

"Good heavens, what AM I going to do?" the old lady muttered.

"Hang on," Darien said patiently as he walked to the front of the car and  
opened its hood. "Huh, I see what's going on here."

He went back to his motorcycle and retrieved a mechanic's kit from the base  
unit. After a minute of work, he stood up, closed the hood, and looked at the  
worried old woman. "There, try it now."

Doubtful, she got into the car and turned the key. Her eyes lit up in  
surprise when she heard the engine roaring to life.

"Why, that's remarkable, young man!" she said as she rolled down the car to  
her Buick, "I must repay you somehow. Why don't you come to my house for  
dinner tonight?"

"Oh no, that's okay, ma'am," Darien said, "That would be-"

"No, I insist!" the old lady said and took out a piece of paper, writing down  
her address.

Darien stared at the her through the window of the car, ready to back away.

"No, please," Darien said, "I probably won't even have time to-"

"Seven o'clock!" she announced, shoving the paper into his hands, "Don't be  
rude, young man!"

Before Darien could say another word, she sped off, leaving him coughing in  
the gas emission.

"Whoa, what was that all about?" he muttered to himself.

---

Serena turned off the television. It just wasn't the same without her  
parents and Sammy around. She was missing them already! With a sigh, she  
stood up and put on her pink jacket, deciding to take a long walk in the  
park. Maybe she'd call up Molly later.

A moment later, she was walking quietly underneath the trees, enjoying the  
view of the lake beside her.

"Hey there, Meatball Head."

Serena turned around and saw a smirking Darien looking at her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously, "I thought you had classes  
on Saturdays."

"How'd you know that?" Darien asked.

"I heard you and Andrew talking about it."

"Oh," Darien said, then sighed, "Well, yeah, I did have class today, but I  
just missed it. I'm dead for the exam."

"Can't you just borrow a friend's notes?" Serena wondered aloud, "Oh wait, I  
forgot, you don't HAVE any friends."

Darien tried to look hurt, "How could you say something like that? I wanted  
to come by to make some friendly conversation, but I guess that just isn't  
possible. I was going to tell you how great you look today too."

Serena blinked in surprise, then blushed furiously, "Wh... really...?"

"Yeah," Darien said, his eyes staring into hers, "I honestly didn't know you  
worked for the Easter Bunny."

Serena looked down at her pink jacket filled with bunnies, then her face  
turned red with anger. "Stop making fun of me!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Darien said, "I'll make it up to you. Tomorrow, I'll  
wear the ugliest, most repulsive jacket you've ever seen, so you won't look so  
bad, okay?"

"Jerk!" Serena said, then stormed away, leaving Darien laughing.

Then he stared at her as she walked away, almost wanting to follow her.  
Somehow, everything seemed easier when he was talking to Serena.

He grinned and walked away, his problems suddenly seeming lighter.

---

"Gosh, what is wrong with that guy?" Serena muttered to herself as she walked  
down the path, then stopped when she saw an old lady running around frantically.

"Where are you?" she called, "Kids, where did you go?"

"What's wrong?" Serena said as she approached her, concerned.

"Oh, I've lost my grandkids somewhere. Please help me look for them."

"Of course," Serena said, "What are their names?"

"Li Li and Ray Ray."

Serena walked off into a distance and shouted, "Li Li! Ray Ray! Your  
grandma is looking for you!"

"We're over here," a small voice said, making Serena jump.

Serena turned and saw two young girls sitting inside a hollow tree, one of  
them a few years older than the other.

"What are you guys doing in there?" Serena said, smiling, "Come on out!"

"I'm trying to get her to go back," the taller one with black hair explained,  
"But she just won't go."

"I'm hiding!" the shorter one with brown hair said with a giggle.

"Your grandmother is worried sick about you!" Serena exclaimed, "Oh, all  
right... Here."

She reached into her pocket and took out a cookie, offering it to her.

The little girl gasped and, as Serena watched with a growl in her own stomach,  
quickly devoured her beautiful lunch.

"Now come on," she said as she took the little girl's hand, walking back to  
the old lady with the older sister following behind them.

"There you are!" the old woman cried when she saw them, "I was so worried!"

She hugged the two children.

"I don't know how to thank you!" she said to Serena, "I know, please come to  
my house for dinner at seven tonight."

"No that's okay," Serena said, laughing.

"You can't say no!" the old lady answered, "I live in that house right over  
there!"

Serena turned and saw a huge mansion across the street from the park.

"I... I don't know," Serena said.

"Please come," the old woman said, "I'll be waiting!"

With a wink, she grabbed the two young girls' hands and walked to their house.

Serena smiled. Maybe she'll go. The old woman certainly seemed nice enough.

---

Darien waited outside the large door patiently. Boy the house was huge. He  
really didn't want to have dinner with some old woman he didn't know, but he  
felt it would disappoint her if he didn't show up. Just then, a all-too-  
familiar voice called from behind him...

"You!"

"Wha-?" He said as he turned around and saw Serena walking up the doorsteps.

"What are you DOING here?" Serena said, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"What are YOU doing here?" Darien shot back.

Just then, the door opened.

"Ah, my guests have arrived!"

Serena and Darien looked at the old lady, then back to each other.

It was going to be a long night.


	2. Chapter Two

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
- - - - -  
  
Chapter Two  
  
  
"You two know each other?" the old woman asked.

"I guess you could say that," Serena said defiantly.

"Hmph," Darien responded.

"Anyhow, please come in," the hostess said as she let them step into the huge  
house.

"Oh, I've been so rude," Serena said, taking off her shoes, "I haven't even  
introduced myself. My name's Serena."

"Oh dear me," the old lady said, "I've forgotten as well. You can call me Mrs.  
Muriel."

"I'm Darien."

Mrs. Muriel smiled and led them to the large living room, with the longest and  
most beautiful table Serena had ever seen. She gasped when she saw the the  
huge turkey, pies, casseroles, and chicken stew in front of her.

"So, you met Darien only this morning as well?" Serena asked, trying to  
distract herself from all the food.

"Why yes," she said, "He stopped and fixed my car when I was having some  
trouble, you see."

Serena raised an eyebrow at Darien's direction, "That's not like him."

Darien ignored her, "Where are the two children, Mrs. Muriel?"

"Four," the old woman corrected him, "They'll be coming downstairs shortly.  
Meanwhile, please have a seat."

Serena and Darien made sure to sit as far from each other as possible, both of  
them refusing to catch the other's eye.

"Come, children!" Mrs. Muriel suddenly yelled, making Serena and Darien jump,  
"Dinner's ready!"

Almost immediately, four girls tumbled excitedly down a staircase in the next  
room and ran into the living room.

"Hi hi!" the blonde one shouted.

"Introduce yourselves," Mrs. Muriel said proudly.

"I'm Ray Ray," the one with dark hair said with a smile. "I'm the oldest."

"Amy..." the shy one with the glasses said, hiding behind the others.

"I'm Li Li," the tall one said confidently. Serena remembered that she was  
the mischevious one hiding in the tree trunk.

"And I'm Mina!" the one with the red bow announced.

Mrs. Muriel grinned and nodded, "Now then, let's have dinner!"

- - -

Throughout the night, Serena and Darien talked to the girls about their school  
work and their friends. Serena couldn't help enjoying herself, and she stole  
a look at Darien once in a while to see that even he was laughing often,  
obviously enjoying the children's company.

After dinner, the girls disappeared back upstairs, asking Serena and Darien to  
go up to play with them later.

"Wonderful girls, aren't they?" Mrs. Muriel murmured.

"Oh yes," Darien said, "Very energetic."

"And well-behaved too," Serena commented.

"It's truly unfair how they ended up here," Mrs. Muriel said, "I found them in  
a little basket at my doorsteps five years ago. No note or anything - except  
a piece of paper with their names. How could any parents not want these  
little ones?"

"That's terrible," Serena said sadly.

"Of course, with all the money my husband left me when he went to Heaven many  
years ago... I didn't have any trouble taking care of the girls. If it were some  
other strangers, the children may not have such a comfortable home right now."

Darien nodded his agreement, "I guess things worked out after all."

Mrs. Muriel stood up, "Well, it's late, and I'm sure you young people have  
things to do, people to see. So I'll let you go."

"Should we say goodbye to the girls?" Serena asked, glancing at the staircase.

"It's all right," Mrs. Muriel said with a twinkle in her eye, "Just remember  
to visit often."

Darien smiled, "We will."

- - -

"Poor girls," Serena sighed as they stepped out into the cool night air, "It  
must be awful to grow up without parents."

Darien flinched visibly. "I... I suppose."

"If I could have one wish, it would be that everybody be able to grow up with  
a mother and father."

Darien looked away. "Well, Meatball Head, sometimes things don't always work  
that way."

Serena glanced at him curiously, "I guess so..."

He stared straight ahead and didn't say anything for a moment. Then he  
turned and looked down at her almost affectionately, "You've got a good heart,  
Serena, you know that?"

Serena blushed.

They came to an intersection, both of them stopping.

"Well, I'm going that way," Darien said.

"I guess this is where we part ways," Serena giggled, "I'll see you around."

"'Bye," Darien replied.

Serena walked off, then heard Darien call after her.

"When do you want to visit Mrs. Muriel again?" he asked.

"I don't know," Serena yelled back, "Next Friday?"

He grinned, and shouted, "Okay. I'll give her a call."

- - -

Serena sat on her bed and smiled. He could be sweet sometimes.

He had a good heart too, she realized. She imagined him stopping and helping  
Mrs. Muriel with her car, like some big hero.

She sighed and lay herself on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She almost  
couldn't wait to Friday, when she could go see Mrs. Muriel and the girls again.

With Darien.

Boy she must be feeling lonely to want to see HIM.

- - -

"Mrs. Muriel!" Darien shouted as he pounded on the door, "Mrs. Muriel, are you  
there?"

Serena stared at the closed door worriedly, "Relax, Darien. Don't break it  
down."

"That's strange..." Darien said, "I called her yesterday and she said she'd  
love to have us over."

"What should we do?" Serena asked.

"I don't know," Darien muttered, "I think we should make sure she's all right."

Serena nodded.

"I have an idea," Darien said.

- - -

"Boy, Meatball Head, you're heavy!" Darien exclaimed.

"Quiet, you!" Serena snapped at him.

He was holding her by the waist, boosting her up so she could see through a  
window and inside the large house.

"Um, Serena," Darien said uncomfortably, "You're sliding."

"I can't see anything," Serena complained, then gasped.

"What, what's wrong?" Darien asked.

Serena suddenly let go of the window sill and crashed down on Darien.

Darien blushed bright red to find her on top of him, with his arms wrapped  
around her waist tightly. He quickly let go.

"I don't think this is a good position we're in..." he began with an  
embarrassed chuckle.

But she didn't hear him.

"Mrs. Muriel!" Serena whispered urgently, "She's fainted on the floor!"

- - -

"We'll be taking her to the hospital," the paramedic said, "Meanwhile, we need  
you two to look after the four kids."

"Of course," Darien said, eyes filled with worry.

He stood with Serena at the front door, watching as the team of paramedics took  
Mrs. Muriel out on a stretcher.

"What happened to her?" Serena whispered, staring as they hauled the old woman  
into the ambulance and closed the door.

"A stroke," the paramedic answered, "It's pretty serious, but she'll live."

"Oh my gosh..." Serena said softly, and let Darien put a hand on her shoulder.

"She'll be okay," he said gently, "Haven't you noticed how strong she is?"

Serena nodded numbly.

"We should check on the girls then," Darien said.

- - -

"where's Grandma?" Lita asked, "Where is she? Is she okay?"

Amy and Mina were crying on the floor.

Raye put her arm around Lita, looking down on the floor worriedly.

"Sh, it's okay," Serena said, giving Amy and Mina a hug, "She'll be fine."

Then even tough Lita bursted into tears.

"Come on," Darien said, "Let's go upstairs. You said you wanted to show me  
your kitchen play set."

Lita nodded through her tears, "Okay, let's go."

- - -

"Are they asleep?" Darien asked as Serena came out of the bedroom Amy and  
Lita shared.

"Yeah," she said softly.

"Shouldn't you tell your parents that you're out here?" Darien asked.

"It's okay," Serena said, "Mom and Dad are in America. Dad got a major  
business offer down there and he's going to try to make a job out of it.  
Going to be gone half a year."

"Oh I see," Darien said.

"what about you? You need to call?"

Darien shook his head. "No. I... I live alone."

Serena stared at him. Then she realized why he had reacted so strangely when  
they were talking about parents before - he was an orphan as well.

"Darien, I'm sorry," she said, wrapping her arms around him.

He smiled, "It's all right, Meatball Head. My parents died almost fifteen  
years ago, when I was six. I've gotten over it."

"Still, you didn't deserve it," Serena said, "You must have been so strong to  
get through it."

Darien looked at the top of her head, almost wanting to wrap his arms around  
her.

RING! RING!

Serena gasped and detached herself from Darien.

"Hello?" he said as he grabbed the phone.

"Is there a Darien Chiba there?" the woman on the other end said.

"Yes, this is him."

"Hi, I'm a doctor at Tokyo Centre Hospital. Mrs. Muriel woke up a few  
minutes ago and asked me to call you. She'd like you and a girl named  
Serena to take care of her children until she's out of the hospital."

"O... Oh, I see," Darien said dumbly, "May I talk to her?"

"I'm afraid not. She fell unconscious shortly after giving me the message,  
and hasn't woken up since. Oh, she also told me to tell you this: Look in  
the back cupboard of the laundry room."

"All right, thank you."

He hung up, his hand grasping the receiver firmly as he looked down at it,  
deep in thought.

"what is it?" Serena asked.

Darien turned to her.

"Mrs. Muriel wants us to take care of the girls until she recovers."

Serena stared back at him.

"Well..." Serena said, worry written on her face, "Okay."


	3. Chapter Three

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
- - - - -  
  
Chapter Three  
  
  
"I guess I'll go home and get my things," Serena said.

"What do you mean?" Darien asked.

"We can't exactly let them stay here all night by themselves," Serena said,  
"What if they wake up in the middle of the night and ask for their Grandma?"

"You're right," Darien agreed, "I'll go get my stuff when you come back."

"Okay," Serena said as she stepped on her shoes and pulled the front door open.

- - -

Darien came to yet another doorway and sighed in relief. He had finally found  
the laundry room. He immediately spotted the cupboard the doctor was telling  
him about. Kneeling down, he pulled the drawer open curiously.

"Holy-" he began as he found himself staring at hundreds of stacks of money.  
Next to it lay a small, neatly handwritten note.

'In case something happens to me,' he read silently to himself, 'Use this to  
take care of the girls. I thank you in advance. - Gale Muriel.'

He was about to check the back of it to see if there was anything else written  
there, when a little voice interrupted him.

"Dar Dar."

He looked to the doorway to see the little blonde one there. She was the  
youngest, he remembered.

"What's your name again?" he asked as he bent down to look at her at an  
eye-to-eye level.

"I'm Mina," she said softly, "I'm scared, Dar Dar."

"I know," Darien said as he enveloped the little girl in a hug, "But your  
Grandma will be all right. She just had a little accident."

"I'm glad you're here," Mina sniffled.

"Me too," Darien said with a gentle smile, "So, how old are you girls?"

"I'm five. Amy and Lita are six, and Raye is eight."

"Oh, so that's why your Grandma told me you go to a different school."

Mina nodded, "I'll go to the big school soon. When it's September next year."

"Then you'll be with all your sisters," Darien reminded her.

Mina smiled, "Yep."

"Now, let's get you back to bed," Darien said as he took her hand and led her  
back to the bedroom she shared with Raye.

"Dar Dar," Mina whispered, tugging at his hand, "Grandma always read me a  
story before I went to sleep."

"A story?" Darien said with a frown, "Mina, I don't... I don't know any  
stories."

"Hey, I'll tell her a story."

Darien and Mina looked up and saw Serena smiling at them, standing at the  
doorway with her sleeping bag and pink bunny pajamas.

- - -

"Did you check on them one last time?" Darien asked as he rolled over to face  
her, his sleeping bag only allowing him so much room to move.

"Yes," Serena said impatiently, "You already asked me twice. Relax and go  
to sleep."

"Okay... Good night."

Serena stared up at the ceiling in her own sleeping bag. She closed her eyes  
and tried to get some sleep, not wanting to worry about tomorrow. What would  
the girls have for breakfast? And how were they going to get to school?

Then...

"Um, Darien..."

"What?" he said groggily.

"You're... getting a little too close."

Darien's eyes flew open and found his arm resting on Serena's shoulder, with  
her already backed to the far side of her sleeping bag.

"Sorry!" he said immediately, taking his hand off of her as if he had touched  
a burning stove, "I... I don't think we should sleep together."

Serena's eyes widened.

"I mean!" Darien started again, his face getting hot, "Not SLEEP together  
sleep together. Just not in the same room! You know what I mean?"

Serena looked at him uncertainly, then nodded, "I... I guess so."

She suddenly felt a little unsafe. What DID she know about Darien? She had  
only met him a few months ago. Who knew if he wasn't some sicko who-

"Um... I'll sleep in the living room," Darien muttered, interrupting her  
thoughts. He grabbed his sleeping bag and dragged it away.

"Um... Thank you," Serena said timidly.

"'Night."

- - -

Darien groaned when he felt sunlight pour into his eyes and a lot of noise  
around him.

'Where am I?' he asked himself, then sat up and found himself in the living  
room, where he had placed himself the night before.

His eyes began to focus and a blurry figure of Amy stared at him.

"Hey..." he said.

"Dar Dar," Amy whispered, "Wake up. Serena told me to come get you."

Then Serena appeared behind her, "Get up, Darien. You have to drive the  
girls to school."

"What about breakfast?" Darien asked, rubbing his eyes lazily.

"I bought them breakfast at McDonald's..." Serena said.

"I meant MY breakfast," Darien said.

"Drive the girls to school and we'll see about that afterwards."

"Crazy Meatball Head..." Darien muttered barely audibly as he stood up.

"What was that!?" Serena raged.

- - -

During the week, the girls got used to the two new caregivers. They went  
to school as usual, with "Dar Dar" dropping them off in the morning and  
picking them up after school. Serena would buy them breakfast, lunch, and  
dinner. Soon, they didn't think of Grandma quite as much.

Darien stepped through the sliding door that led into the kitchen from the  
backyard. He put his motorcycle helmet on the counter.

"Hey, you're back late today," Serena said, not turning from the vegetables  
she was cutting.

"Yeah, and I'm tired too. You know I'm not used to getting up so early in  
the morning. That's why I scheduled all my classes at night."

"Well, the girls aren't old enough to walk to school by themselves yet,"  
Serena reminded him, "Ouch!"

"What are you doing?" Darien said, taking off his black jacket, "Are you  
cooking?"

"I'm trying to," Serena whined, "We can't use up Mrs. Muriel's savings too  
quickly. It's not cheap eating out every meal, you know."

"That looks..." Darien said, taking a peek at the food, "...disgusting. The  
girls aren't going to eat that, Meatball Head!"

"Hey, I'm trying my best!" Serena snapped back, "Try this!"

Before Darien could protest, Serena had stood up on tiptoe and stuck a spoon  
into his mouth.

"Erk!" Darien reacted. Then his brows furrowed, "Hey, it's not that bad."

"Ha!" Serena exclaimed, "I knew it. Now go upstairs and tell the girls  
dinner's ready."

- - -

"All right, we're flying!" Darien declared as he ran into the dining room with  
Mina and Lita on his shoulders.

"Not so fast!" Serena yelled, carrying a bowl of rice from the kitchen, "And  
can't you give them piggyback rides one at a time!?"

Darien laughed as he knelt down on the floor to let them off, "Come on, look  
how much fun they're having. You should try it!"

Serena rolled her eyes, then turned to the stairs, "Amy! Raye! Come on down!"

"Yummy!" Mina said as she took one of the meatballs on the table and stuffed  
it in her mouth.

"Slow down," Darien reminded her, then looked up at Serena. "Wow, poor Mina's  
too young to understand what tastes good and what doesn't."

Serena's proud smile disappeared from her face as she reached for a ladle to  
throw at him.

- - -

After dinner, the girls had settled down and played together in the living  
room. Soon, Amy excused herself and went upstairs to read.

"All right," Darien said after a while, "It's nine. You girls should get to  
sleep."

"Okay, Dar Dar," Mina said, "Come on Serena."

She grabbed Serena's hand and dragged her upstairs for her nightly fairy tale,  
with Raye and Lita following closely behind them.

Darien let out a deep breath and sat himself down on the couch, grateful for  
brief moment of peace and quiet. Just then, the telephone rang.

"Mrs. Muriel's residence," he said as he picked it up.

"Hi, is this Darien Chiba?" a female voice on the other line asked.

"Yeah."

"You called earlier this morning to ask about Mrs. Muriel's condition. I'm  
afraid to say... it doesn't look good."

- - -

"Good night, Serena," Raye whispered. Mina had fallen asleep before Serena  
could finish her story.

"Good night," Serena said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, "I won't  
wake you up early tomorrow. No school on Sundays, right?"

"But we have church," Raye said.

"Oh," Serena said, surprised, "Well, I guess Dar Dar will have to drive us.  
Sweet dreams."

She shut the door gently and walked downstairs just as Darien put down the  
phone.

"Hey," she said, "Guess what, we're going to church tomorrow morning. Looks  
like we'll have to wake up at eight again."

Then she noticed Darien's worried expression. "What's wrong?"

"That was the hospital," he said quietly, "Mrs. Muriel isn't recovering as  
well as they had hoped. She... may not make it."

"What?" Serena whispered.

"The doctor asked us to go see her tomorrow," Darien said gravely, "It may  
be the last time."  
  
  
- Author's Notes:

Hope you people are still enjoying this  
story. Looking forward to your feedback.

Phantasy Star


	4. Chapter Four

She shut the door gently and walked downstairs just as Darien put down the  
phone.

"Hey," she said, "Guess what, we're going to church tomorrow morning. Looks  
like we'll have to wake up at eight again."

Then she noticed Darien's worried expression. "What's wrong?"

"That was the hospital," he said quietly, "Mrs. Muriel isn't recovering as  
well as they had hoped. She... may not make it."

"What?" Serena whispered.

"The doctor asked us to go see her tomorrow," Darien said gravely, "It may  
be the last time."  
  
  
I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
- - - - -  
  
Chapter Four  
  
  
"Okay, have fun at Sunday school," Serena said as the girls piled out of  
Darien's car.

"We'll pick you up at one," Darien reminded them.

"'Bye bye Serena! 'Bye bye Dar Dar!" the children chorused.

Serena took a deep breath as she and Darien drove out of the parking lot.

"Are you sure we made the right decision?" Serena asked.

Darien sighed. "I'm afraid the girls aren't ready for it. They've already  
lost their parents. I don't want to see them lose their Grandma too."

Serena frowned. "Still, if they get the chance, shouldn't they say goodbye?"

Darien stared at the road ahead of them and didn't answer. Soon, they pulled  
into the visitors parking lot at the hospital.

- - -

"Mrs. Muriel," Serena said as they went into her room. She was lying in bed,  
with a white sheet with flower patterns covering her. Her eyes looked tired  
and she seemed thinner than before. Serena went quickly to her side.

"Hi dear," the old woman said with a gentle smile, "How are they?"

"They're just fine," Darien reassured her as he set down the soup they had  
brought, "Amy won the Math contest."

Mrs. Muriel chuckled, "I knew she would. Are they at church?"

"Yes," Serena said, then added hesitantly, "Mrs. Muriel... Do you want to see  
them?"

"I..." the old woman said gravely, "I do. But I don't want them to know... to  
know that..."

"I know," Darien said quietly, "Don't worry about it."

"And... don't tell them," Mrs. Muriel said, "Not until they're older."

"Mrs. Muriel," Serena said, "Don't say things like this. You're going to be  
fine."

The old lady's eyes smiled, "I know when my time is coming, dear. And I've  
lived a wonderful life. I've had many days to spend alone with my husband,  
but I never thought I'd have the chance to take care of beautiful children.  
God gave me that chance though, and I wouldn't trade any of it for the world."

Serena took Mrs. Muriel's hand and looked at Darien, the two of them sharing  
a smile.

"Mrs. Muriel!" Darien said suddenly, when Mrs. Muriel closed her eyes. Then  
he turned to the doorway. "Doctors!"

- - -

"She'll be fine for now," the doctor told them, "I don't know how long she'll  
be able to hang on though."

"Thanks..." Darien said, staring at the door to the old woman's room.

Serena shook her head mutely, "It doesn't sound like there's much chance of  
her recovering..."

"I know..." Darien said, "We can only hope. Let's go pick up the girls now."

- - -

Two days later...

"All right, kids," the teacher said, "It's lunch time. Everybody go to the  
field."

The children cheered and scampered outside.

"Hi Li Li," a classmate came up and greeted her.

"Hi Carmen," Lita said quietly.

"What are you having for lunch?" Carmen asked.

"Meatballs," Lita answered, "Serena made them for me."

"Why doesn't your Mommy make them for you?" the other girl asked.

"Cuz she's not here," Lita grumbled.

"Well, where is she?"

"I... I don't know," Lita shrugged and turned away.

"So you have no Mommy," Carmen said sadly, "That's too bad. Because my Mommy  
loves me very much."

"Shut up!" Lita cried and knocked the lunchbox out of the other girl's hands.

"Hey! You broke it!"

The girl pushed at Lita angrily and Lita shoved her back.

"Li Li, Carmen!" the teacher shouted as she rushed over, "Come inside this  
instant!"

- - -

"Li Li, what's wrong?" Serena asked as Darien and the girls came home from  
school. She looked at Darien, who shrugged helplessly.

"She's been quiet since I picked her up," he explained, "Come on, Li Li, tell  
us why you've been crying."

Just then, the telephone rang.

"I'll get it," Serena volunteered.

"Hi, this is Miss Leung, Lita's teacher," the voice on the other end said,  
"Is Mrs. Muriel there?"

"No... No she isn't..." Serena said, "Can I help you?"

"Are you one of Li Li's guardians?"

"I guess so..."

"well, I just wanted to let you know that Lita was caught fighting today at  
school. Another girl said something to upset her, and Lita broke her  
lunchbox. I don't know what the issue is. Neither of them would talk  
about it."

"I'll talk to her then..." Serena said worriedly.

"All right, thank you. Lita's a good girl. I hope you'll work things out  
for her."

- - -

Serena took a deep breath and pushed the bedroom door open gently. She found  
Lita inside, hugging her Wonder Woman doll and staring at the floor.

"Li Li..." Serena said softly, "That was Miss Leung. She told me you had a  
little trouble at school today."

"I don't want to talk about it," the six-year-old said without looking at Serena.

Serena sat down on Lita's bed and put an arm around her, "You can tell me  
anything. You know that."

Lita looked up at her hesitantly. "You won't tell anybody? Not even Dar Dar?"

"Dar Dar?" Serena exclaimed, "Why, I wouldn't tell him anything unless I  
absolutely have to. It'd just be something else he could use against me."

Seeing Lita's confused expression, she blushed, "Anyway... What is it, Li Li?"

Lita looked at the floor, "I... I don't have a Mommy. That Carmen says her  
Mommy loves her a lot... and... and... I'll never get to be loved by my Mommy!  
I don't even remember her!"

Tears flowed freely now. Serena held Lita tighter. "Sh, it's okay. Your  
Mommy may not be here, but you have so many people who love you around. I'm  
here, your sisters are here, and Dar Dar's here. He may be a big jerk, but  
he's very dependable and nice, at least to you guys..."

Lita sobbed into Serena's shirt, gripping the older girl tightly, "But I don't  
even miss her. I'm such a bad girl!"

Serena patted Lita on the head, "Of course you aren't. You'll always have your  
Mommy in your heart."

"What's that mean?"

"That means..." Serena explained slowly, "Even though your Mommy isn't here,  
you still love her a lot, deep inside. And wherever she is, I'm sure she loves  
you too."

Lita started to smile a little. "Really? So it's not my fault I don't  
remember her?"

"Not at all. You'll always remember..." Serena said softly and pointed at  
Lita's chest, "In there."

The two of them sat there for a while, Lita's sobs finally residing.

Then she tugged on Serena's sleeve, "Serena... Will you be my Mommy... I  
mean, for now?"

Serena looked surprised. Then she held Lita's hand. "Of course I will. I'll  
always be here for you."

Neither of them noticed Darien watching from outside, his eyes growing soft at  
the scene in front of him.

- - -

"So, Prince Charming took Cinderella back to the palace and the two of them  
were married the very next day. And they lived happily ever after."

Serena smiled and put the book down, then noticed Mina snoring softly. She  
flipped the night light off and walked out of the room.

"Darien," a girl's voice pleaded downstairs, "Please, just one last time."

Serena's eyes widened in surprise as she leaned over the staircase and peeked  
at the open front door.

"Elisa," Darien was saying, "I already told you, it's over between us."

Serena blinked. Whoa, an ex-girlfriend.

"You promised you'd go to this dance with me!" the pretty brunette said  
angrily.

"That was when we were still together," Darien said, exasperated, "I'm sorry,  
but..."

"Come on, Darien!" the girl cried as she put her arms around him, "You  
promised me..."

Darien took hold of her thin wrists and pulled her away from him, "I... I..."

Serena, watching this whole scene with fascination, accidentally slipped and  
hit her hand on the railing.

The two looked up at her, and she laughed in embarrassment, "Sorry 'bout that!  
I wasn't spying on you or anything. Just didn't want to disturb your... um,  
conversation."

Elisa glared at her a little, while Darien sighed.

"All right..." he said as Elisa's face brightened, "Just tonight."

"Really?" she whispered.

"Yes..." Darien said, giving her a half smile, "I'll go change..."

He walked out of the living room, and Serena came down the stairs.

"Hi," she offered a smile, "Elisa, is it?"

"Yeah, and you're?" the other girl said disdainfully.

"Serena."

"Oh," she said, raising her dark brows at the blonde, "Darien's mine, by  
the way."

"Um..." Serena said, surprised, "Okay... I thought I just heard him say you  
guys broke up..."

"That doesn't matter!" Elisa snapped, "I'll get him back! And you'd better  
back off - he's off limits!"

Serena burst out laughing, "Ha! Me, liking Darien? Seriously, I don't see  
why anyone could like him, but to each her own, I guess."

Before Elisa could answer, Darien came into the room with a full suit on, a  
navy jacket over a classy white shirt, complete with a dark tie and dress shoes.

Elisa smiled and blushed a little, "Let's go."

"Oh, I forgot to check with you," Darien apologized as he turned to Serena and  
fixed his tie, "You don't mind me going off tonight, do you?"

Serena rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I'm not your mother, okay?"

Darien smiled, "All right, I'm off then, Meatball Head."

He escorted Elisa out to his car, leaving behind a fuming Serena.

"Although if I WERE your mother," she called after him, "I'd tell you to be a  
little more polite and stop CALLING PEOPLE NAMES!"

Darien laughed and gave her a backwards wave.

Serena glared after him.

"Jerk."  
  
  
- Author's Notes:

Don't we all hate pushy girls?  
Yeah, not a lot happening between Serena and Darien in this chapter.  
Things will start up soon, I promise :) Thanks for reading!

Phantasy Star


	5. Chapter Five

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
- - - - -  
  
Chapter Five  
  
  
Tears sprang into Mina's eyes. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.  
Then she gave up and buried her face into her hands, letting out choked sobs.

"I don't wanna!" she screamed suddenly.

"Come on now, Mina," Serena said worriedly, "It's not so bad. You told me  
your tooth hurt, so I HAD to take you here."

"I don't WANNA SEE THE DENTIST!" she wailed.

Just then, Doctor Roberts came into the room.

"Mina," Serena said, "See how nice Doctor Roberts looks? He wouldn't hurt  
you."

"No!" Mina said, shaking her head, "No no no no no no no!"

Serena sighed and looked at the dentist for help, but he only smiled  
helplessly.

"All right," Serena summoned up all her courage and said, "I'll go. Dr.  
Roberts, I know I don't have an appointment, but can I have my teeth checked  
too?"

"Certainly," the dentist says, "Hop on the seat."

Serena suddenly regretted her spur-of-the-moment bravery. She looked at the  
dental seat skeptically and climbed on hesitantly.

"See," Serena said as she turned to Mina, "It's easy, it's fun."

Mina watched curiously as the dentist took out his tools.

"No problem," Serena said, "I think I'm starting to really enjoy this.  
There's not pain at all. Not one, tiny, tiny, little bit of p- AHHH!"

Mina's eyes widened as Serena cried out.

"Oops!" Dr. Roberts said, "Scraped your gums a little."

"That thing looks LETHAL!" she said as she stared at the dentist's tool, then  
turned to Mina and smiled weakly, "I mean... Go right ahead, Dr. Roberts..."

- - -

Darien studied the papers on the table closely, not noticing when the front  
doors opened.

"We're back," Serena sang.

"Hey," Darien turned to them with a smile, "How'd it go at the dentist?"

"Great," Serena said, "Mina didn't have any cavities after all. Just a minor  
toothache, maybe too much junk food lately."

"That means you need to cut down," Darien said to Mina.

Mina nodded and sighed, then went upstairs to do her homework.

"What are you doing?" Serena asked when she spotted the papers on the table  
top.

"Mrs. Muriel's lawyer came over today," Darien explained, "Apparently, Mrs.  
Muriel is making a plan for the girls, you know, if she really doesn't make  
it. The contract says, the caregiver of the girls may continue to live in  
this house off of the interest from Mrs. Muriel's bank account, and may have  
access to the remaining amount, if he or she continues to look after the  
girls in a responsible manner."

Serena sat down beside Darien, "Does that mean you?"

Darien put down his glasses and nodded, "Yeah, if I sign this, that is."

They sat in silence for a moment, both of them considering the situation.  
Then Serena turned to Darien.

"I'll help you, you know..." she said quietly, "If... if you decide to do it."

"I don't see how I can refuse," Darien said wearily, "Mrs. Muriel doesn't  
know a lot of people, just a few babysitters she calls from time to time.  
She's only recommended me. And who knows, if we give the girls to some  
strangers, how would we know if they're providing for them properly?"

Serena sighed and smiled, "Then I guess your decision is pretty clear."

Darien stared at the paper. Just then, his stomach growled.

"Looks like you haven't had dinner yet," Serena laughed.

"I was rushing this assignment, and then the lawyer showed up..." Darien  
explained.

"Here, I bought some cakes. Have a piece."

"No, that's o-"

Serena pushed the cake into his face and he took a bite carefully. Their eyes  
met and both of them froze.

Serena turned away nervously and put the food on the table, "I'll... I'll just  
leave it here for you."

"Okay..." Darien finally said and nodded awkwardly, "I-"

"Dar Dar! Mommy!" an energetic voice interrupted them, making them both sigh  
in relief.

Lita ran down the staircase holding a piece of paper.

"I forgot to tell you," she said breathlessly, "My baseball tournament is  
tomorrow. You'll have to sign this so I can give it back to Miss Leung.  
You'll come to the game, won't you?"

Serena smiled, "Of course."

She turned to Darien and was surprised to see him looking at Lita apologetically.

"Sorry, Li Li," he said, "But Dar Dar's busy tomorrow. I have to see a friend."

Serena frowned, "What friend?"

Darien sighed, "It's Elisa. We're just having dinner."

Lita pouted, "But I really want you to go..."

Serena pulled Lita into a hug, "It's all right. Me and the girls will go and  
cheer you on. You can tell Dar Dar all about it when you come home."

Lita nodded and Darien handed her the signed permission form. She ran back  
upstairs to tell the girls about the game.

"I thought you and Elisa broke up," Serena said curiously.

"We did," Darien said, "But... Well, I don't know. We might start things up  
again, you know?"

Serena shrugged, "All right. She seemed... cool enough."

Darien nodded, "Yeah, she's great."

Serena was about to ask him why they had broken up in the first place when he  
stood up.

"Well, I'm going to class," he said, "I'll try to be back before the girls go  
to bed."

- - -

The next day...

"All right, Lita!" Serena said as she gave the little girl a high-five, "You won!"

"You were great," Raye commented as Mina and Amy nodded.

"Let's go celebrate!" Serena said cheerfully, "We'll have pizza!"

"All right!" Lita cried.

As they walked to the school parking lot, Lita chattered excitedly about the  
game.

"Did you see how far I hit that ball?" she asked Amy, "I was really good,  
wasn't I?"

Amy smiled, "You had 12 successful hits out of 15, which means you had an 80%  
success rate."

Lita blinked, "Um... that means I did good?"

"Yep," Amy said.

"That's weird..." Serena muttered as she looked around the empty parking lot,  
"We're already five minutes late, and Darien isn't here yet..."

- - -

Darien laughed as he took another sip of wine. "I haven't had this much fun  
for a while."

"That's because you're stuck with four children and a teenage girl," Elisa  
laughed.

Darien shook his head, "No... I... I..."

Elisa giggled, "You're so drunk you can't talk, Darien!"

Darien chuckled a little, staring at the glass in front of him, "I guess I AM  
a little drunk... But... but you know... I really like living with the girls...  
They're a lot of fun..."

"Whatever," Elisa rolled her eyes.

"And Serena..." Darien whispered, "Serena... Serena's great... She's so great..."

Elisa frowned, "What, are you in love with her or something?"

Darien laughed, "Me...? In love with Meatball Head... I..."

Then he fell asleep and landed with a thud on the dinner table.

- - -

Serena sat on the sidewalk and tossed a rock repeatedly at the ground.

"Darien Chiba," she muttered through seething teeth, "Don't let me see you  
again, because I will kill you the second I do. Yes I will. I will bang your  
head on the ground again and again like I am doing to this rock.

Raye and Amy stared at her worriedly.

"Where's Dar Dar?" Mina complained, "It's been thirty minutes!"

"Hey girls," a male voice said behind them, and Serena turned curiously.

"Hi Rick!" Lita said happily. She turned to Serena, "This is my coach."

Serena's eyes widened when she saw the handsome guy in front of her in a  
short-sleeved shirt and a pair of black shorts. His short dark hair fell like  
a mop on one side of his head from sweat.

Serena smiled nervously and shook his hand, "My name's Serena."

"I'm Rick," he said, "Lita did wonderful today."

"Thanks," Lita said, "Serena's taking me out for pizza."

"Doesn't look like it," Serena sighed, "The guy that's supposed to pick us up  
must have forgotten or something... I guess we'll be taking the bus."

"I don't mind driving you," Rick said, "My car's right over there. We can have  
pizza too."

Serena blushed slightly, "I... If it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all," Rick said good-naturedly, "Besides, I live next doors to Mrs.  
Muriel, you know."

- - -

"I can't believe this..." Rick said, "Mrs. Muriel's in the hospital?"

"Yeah..." Serena whispered back as she took a bite from her pizza, "But the  
girls don't really know much about it."

"That's awful..." he said, "I should go see her... I used to watch the girls  
all the time when she went out, back in high school, that is."

"I'm really worried about her..." Serena sighed, "So, what are you doing now?"

"Juuban University," he answered, "First year. It's pretty tough."

"I know this guy - he's the guy who ditched us and the guy whose life I'll be  
ending - who's in second year, and it sounds really hard."

"Well, I'm doing my best," Rick said, then looked at his watch, "Hey, it's  
getting late. We should probably get the girls home and to bed."

- - -

'Please be home, please be home, please be home...' Darien thought worriedly  
as he drove down the street with his cell phone pressed against his ear.

"Hello?"

"Raye!" he sighed in relief.

"Hi Dar Dar."

"I'm so glad you got home okay! I am so sorry I didn't come pick you up after  
the game. Is everybody at home now?"

"Yeah..." Raye said, "Except Serena's still outside..."

"Oh," Darien said, surprised, "Okay. Well, I'll be back in two minutes. I'm  
already coming down the street, and I can almost see the house..."

His voice trailed off.

'Who's THAT guy?' he thought as he stared at the tall young man Serena was  
talking to.

Just then, she spotted him, and her face turned into a dangerous bright red.

"DARIEN CHIBA!" she screamed, "YOU'D BETTER HAVE A GOOD EXPLANATION  
OF WHERE YOU WERE TONIGHT!"  
  
  
- Author's Notes:

Hehe, Rival Number Two introduced.  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks for reading.

Phantasy Star


	6. Chapter Six

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
- - - - -  
  
Chapter Six  
  
  
"Good work, Raye," Darien said, "Ten out of ten. I don't know why I bother  
checking your homework anymore."

Raye giggled and took back her spelling book, "Grandma always checked my  
homework before I hand it in."

Darien nodded, "Well, dinner should be ready soon. Finish up your last math  
questions and come downstairs."

"Oh, Dar Dar," Raye said, "I forgot to get you to sign my field trip form.  
We're going to the museum tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? You should have told me earlier," Darien scolded, "When can I  
pick you up?"

"I think we get back to the school by three."

"If you come back earlier, give me a call," Darien said.

"Okay, Dar Dar."

- - -

"This curry looks great, Serena," Darien said with a huge smile as he walked  
into the kitchen.

"Do NOT speak to me, Chiba," Serena said flatly, "I'm still not talking  
to you."

"Come on, Meatball Head," he said, exasperated, "I apologized a thousand times  
already. The girls have forgiven me, why can't you?"

"Because they do not understand how evil you are for getting drunk with your  
so called ex-girlfriend and forgetting about us, and then not even having the  
guts to lie about it!"

"You wanted me to lie?"

"It's better than hearing the awful truth of what you did!" Serena yelled.

"If I lied, your Meatball radars would have picked it up and I would have been  
in even more trouble..." Darien muttered under his breath.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Serena said.

"By the way..." he said as Serena put the chicken on a plate, "Who WAS that  
guy you were talking to?"

"Rick?" Serena said, "He's Lita's coach for the softball team. He goes to  
Juuban University too."

"I'm not sure you should let some stranger drive you and the girls home."

"He's not a stranger," Serena said, "The girls tell me he used to watch them  
for Mrs. Muriel when she went out."

"Still... I don't really trust him."

Serena rolled her eyes, "You don't like any guy who's cuter than you, do you?"

"Cuter than me?" Darien exclaimed, "Yeah right. You must have bad taste,  
Meatball Head."

"Don't grind my nerves, Darien," Serena said, "Now help me carry the chicken  
to the dining room."

Darien nodded and picked up the plate.

He frowned.

'He's not really cuter than I am, is he?'

- - -

"All right, kids," Mr. Bailey said, "You all behaved very well today. I hope  
you enjoyed your trip to the museum and you'll tell your parents all about it  
when you get home."

Raye stared at her watch. It was only one. She remembered that Darien had  
told her to call him if the field trip ended earlier than she thought.

"Raye, we're going to the store," a classmate said as she came up beside her.  
"Let's go together."

"I can't," Raye said, "I promised Dar Dar I'd call him if we came back early."

"Come on, it'll be fun. You always love it."

"Yeah!" the other girls chorused.

"I... I don't..." Raye hesitated, then bit her lip, "Oh, all right."

The other girls cheered and Raye walked off to the store with them.

- - -

Serena came home from school and walked in the front door to see Darien staring  
sternly at Raye, who sat on the living room sofa quietly, staring at her feet.

"Hey guys," Serena said, "What... what's going on?"

"Why don't you tell her, Raye?" Darien said sternly with his arms crossed.

"I..." Raye said softly, "I came back earlier from the field trip, and I was  
supposed to call Dar Dar, but... but... but my friends wanted me to... to..."

Darien turned to Serena, "But her friends told her to go to the store and she  
just went with them. I called the school an hour ago because I gave them Amy's  
medical card number instead on the field trip form, and the secretary told me  
it didn't matter because the trip was already over. Do you know how worried I  
was?"

He turned to Raye, "I don't get it. Why couldn't you have called me? I  
specifically said that if you got back before three o'clock-"

"Darien," Serena interrupted, "Come on, she knows she made a mistake."

"What she did was unacceptable," Darien said.

"Yeah, she knows," Serena said, "Can't you see that she's sorry?"

Raye nodded and wiped away a tear.

"Well, sorry or not, I'm not letting her talk to friends on the phone for  
a week."

"That's ridiculous!" Serena exclaimed, "She's always been a good girl and  
she only made one mistake. You don't have to punish her if she already  
knows what she did wrong."

"Would you stop defending her?" Darien said, "She needs to know there are  
consequences to her actions!"

"Darien, Raye's already learned her lesson!"

"You're just arguing with me because of the whole forgetting-to-pick-you-up  
thing," Darien shot back.

Serena glared at him, "Oh, don't even remind me about that."

"Serena, can't you just let me handle this? You're going way too soft on them.  
We have to teach them to be obedient."

"You're the one being way too strict. Children are like rubber bands. If you  
pull them too far one way, they'll fly off the other and you won't be able to  
pull them back!"

"What, so I should just let them do whatever they want and not teach them  
about consequences and responsibilities? Maybe that's how you like to deal  
with things but I don't need you teaching this to the girls."

"Fine!" Serena said angrily, "If you don't trust that I can do a good job  
taking care of the girls, YOU can do it. I... I'm going for a walk."

She pulled open the door and walked out.

Darien stared at the ground and gave a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry, Dar Dar," Raye said almost inaudibly, "I... I won't talk to my  
friends on the phone this week if you want..."

"Forget about it," he said gruffly and walked to the kitchen, "Just go to your  
room and do your homework."

- - -

Serena stomped down the street towards her house.

'What a JERK he is!' she thought angrily, 'How could he be so strict with Raye?  
It's not like she disobeyed him on purpose...'

Serena suddenly stopped dead in her tracks when she came to a corner and stared  
across the street.

A dark-haired girl and blond guy were kissing under a lamp post.

'Isn't that... Elisa?'

- - -

Serena turned the key and went into her house.

"What am I going to do?" she whined to no one, "Should I tell Darien? He's  
going to be so angry and disappointed..."

She sat down on the sofa and stared at the coffee table.

'Maybe I made a mistake... Maybe it was just a girl who LOOKED like Elisa...'

She buried her face in her hands.

'No, it's definitely her... I have to tell Darien... But how? I have to do  
something to put him in a good mood so it's not so bad... Maybe I should buy  
him a chocolate cake or something. That always makes me feel better...'

She frowned and sat up suddenly, blinking in confusion.

"What am I doing? Why should I care so much how Darien feels? It's HIS  
cheating girlfriend, HE should be the one to deal with it."

She stood up and grabbed her coat, ready to head back to Mrs. Muriel's house.

She sighed.

'Still, no matter how big of a jerk he is, he doesn't deserve this...'

- - -

Serena walked as slowly as possible back to the mansion. This was just about  
the last thing she wanted to do - to tell a guy who already hates her that his  
girlfriend was cheating on him.

"Serena!"

The blonde turned and saw Rick walking towards her.

"Hey," she said with a smile, happy for the temporary delay, "What are you  
doing here?"

"I live right over there, next to... Mrs. Muriel."

"Oh, cool," Serena exclaimed, "I didn't know we were neighbours."

She noticed his solemn expression and stopped smiling, "What... what's wrong?"

"Um, Serena," Rick said, "You might want to sit down for this."

- - -

A minute later, they were sitting on the front steps of his house.

"Well?" Serena said, "What's going on?"

Rick took a deep breath. "I... I went to the hospital yesterday... I wanted to  
see how Mrs. Muriel was doing... I..."

Serena stared at him, not liking where this was going.

Rick closed his eyes.

"She's... gone. She passed away before I got there. Yesterday morning at  
seven o'clock."

Serena's mouth opened slightly but no sound came out.

"I'm sorry," Rick finished, "I thought you should know."

Serena put her hand over her mouth and a tear slowly made its way down her  
face. "I can't believe it. Oh, Mrs. Muriel... And, how can I tell the girls?"

Rick put his arm around her sympathetically, "Don't think about that now.  
It'll be all-"

He stopped when Serena fell into his arms and cried into his shirt. He froze  
for a moment in surprise, then put his other arm around her comfortingly.

"It's okay..." he said softly, "It's okay..."

- - -

Darien walked back and forth in the living room.

'She's just on one of her temper tantrums,' he told himself, 'She'll be back  
in a few minutes...'

He groaned. He wished he could leave the house and go find her, but the girls  
couldn't stay home by themselves.

Not knowing what else to do, he wandered out the front door for some fresh air.  
After a moment, he turned and was about to head back in when something caught  
his eye.

Serena and the guy he saw the other night, sitting on his front steps, him  
holding her and whispering quietly to her.

It took a moment for his brain to register what he was seeing. Then he turned  
away, his eyes slightly pained.

"Looks like she's not mad anymore..." he muttered under his breath.

He went back into the house and shut the door quietly behind him.  
  
  
- Author's Notes:

Thank you for a lot of comments from  
last chapter. As a "thank you", I  
uploaded this chapter only three days  
after the last one (It's a record!)  
Hope you liked Chapter Six.

Phantasy Star


	7. Chapter Seven

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
  
Serena closed her eyes but tears still slipped out. Darien put a hand on her  
shoulder silently.

"I wish the girls could come and say goodbye," she whispered.

Darien stared at the open casket and beautiful flowers in the funeral home.

"That's not what she wants," Darien reminded her gently, "And I think she's  
right. The girls aren't ready for this."

Serena nodded, then opened her eyes and smiled a little bit. "Look at how many  
people are here."

"She was an amazing person," Darien said. "Come on, it's our turn to say  
goodbye."

The two of them walked up to the casket and bowed respectfully.

As they returned to their seats, a black suited man came up to them.

"Are you Darien?" he asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Mrs. Muriel left this letter for you."

Serena and Darien glanced at each other, then Darien nodded thanks and took it,  
opening the envelop carefully.

"Dear Darien and Serena..." he read to himself.

- - -

... I'm terribly sorry to leave you at a time like this.  
I've thought often of how I may leave one day and where  
the girls should go, and I thank the Heavens that you two  
came into my life when I needed it the most.

As I've said before, please don't tell the girls right  
now about my passing away. Wait until Mina's sixth  
birthday. By then, they should have stopped thinking of  
me very often. I have a sister in France I sometimes  
visited. Tell them that that's where I've gone.

I hope you will continue to take care of the girls in my  
place. They mean the world to me. Thank you, and all  
my love and blessings to both of you.

Love,  
Mrs. Muriel

- - -

Serena and Darien drove silently in the car home.

"Hey, you okay?" Darien asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Serena said with a small smile, "That... that was a  
beautiful funeral. The people at the hospital told me she was smiling when  
she went."

"I'm glad," Darien said.

"It's just... I'm worried about the girls. I don't know if I can lie to them."

"I could tell them, if you want."

"Thanks Darien," Serena said, "And... I... I want to say... Sorry for walking  
out on you yesterday. I shouldn't have lost my temper."

"It's all right," Darien said, "You were right. I wasn't being fair with Raye.  
It's just that... I really want her to grow up properly. The last thing I want  
to do is to mess up with her."

"I know you want what's best for them," Serena said.

"I do. So we're okay?"

Serena nodded, "Of course. Just make sure you fix things with Raye."

- - -

Raye stared out the window, resting her head on her arms.

"Hey."

Raye turned around and saw Darien in the doorway.

"Hi Dar Dar," she said softly.

"How are you doing?" he said as he sat down next to her.

"Okay, I guess..." she said, her eyes on her desk, "Dar Dar, are you still mad  
at me?"

Darien looked back at her guiltily, "No, of course not. Raye, I want to say  
sorry to you."

Raye looked up at him, surprised, "Say sorry? But Dar Dar, you're an adult and  
I'm just a kid."

"Well," Darien chuckled, "If Dar Dar made a mistake, he has to apologize too,  
just like everybody else."

Raye giggled lightly.

"The fact is," Darien said, "I wasn't being reasonable. You already apologized  
to me, and I should have accepted it and not lose my temper."

Raye smiled, "Thanks, Dar Dar."

Darien smiled back at her and ruffled her hair playfully, "So you'll forgive  
me?"

"Of course," Raye said and let him envelop her in a hug.

- - -

A week later...

"Hmm, 89..." Darien said as he peered over Serena's shoulder.

Serena shrieked, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?"

"Nothing, relax!" Darien exclaimed, "Since when did you start getting 89's on  
your English assignments?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but when you tell the girls to go do their  
homework, I can't exactly be reading my comic books, now can I?"

Darien laughed, "I guess not. Anyway, I just wanted to ask you if you'd be  
home all day tomorrow."

Serena thought for a moment, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Great," Darien said, "I'll be out from around six to eleven."

Serena looked at the floor uncomfortably.

"Um, what are you doing?" she asked hesitantly.

"Nothing. Dinner. Movie."

"Elisa?" Serena asked.

"Yeah," Darien nodded, "What's wrong?"

Serena bit her lip.

"I completely forgot to... to tell you this, with Mrs. Muriel and everything  
last week."

"Forgot to tell me what?" Darien said curiously.

Serena took a deep breath.

"I... saw Elisa one night. With... another guy."

"What?" Darien whispered.

"I don't know," Serena said, "Maybe I'm wrong. But I'm pretty sure it was  
her, and... and they were..."

"I don't want to hear it," Darien said angrily, "I don't... I need..."

"Darien, calm do-"

"I can't believe she'd do this again!" he exploded, his fists clenched.

"Again?" Serena echoed.

"I don't want to talk about it," Darien said gruffly as he walked out of her  
room.

Serena stared after him, confused, then squeezed her eyes shut when she heard  
the front door shut with a loud bang.

- - -

"Hey there, hot thing!"

"Over here, baby!"

Serena backed away slightly in horror, "Uh, no thanks."

In all her life she had never stepped into a bar. Sure, she'd seen it in  
movies and even certain animes, but never had she faced the noise and sights of  
such a loud and confusing place up close.

She finally managed to make her way through the crowd and get to the stools.

Sure enough, Darien was sitting in one of the seats, two glasses of beers in  
front of him.

"Hey," she said softly as she took a seat beside him.

Darien turned to her slowly.

"Serena?" he said in disbelief, "What're you doing here? It's not safe for a  
girl like you. You're not even legal age!"

"That's never stopped me before," Serena joked.

Darien ignored her comment. "Serena, you've got to get out of here."

"Then come with me," she said.

"No, I just... I want to drink..." Darien said, "I don't want to think. Not  
about Elisa. Not tonight."

"Darien, come on," she pleaded, "This is obviously not-"

A large man came up to Serena and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't waste  
time to talking to that dude. Haven't you been with a REAL man?"

"Back off, pal!" Darien growled.

The other man scoffed, "Hey, you're not even interested in-"

"First time, I ask with words," Darien said, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Whatever man," the other guy said, putting his hands up in defeat, "Boy you're  
uptight."

Darien didn't answer and took another large swig of his drink.

Serena watched as the unattractive man made his way back into the crowd,  
checking to see if he was really gone. She turned back to Darien and put her  
hand over his larger one.

"You want to talk about it?"

Darien stared at her hand for a second, then sighed.

"I... I don't know..."

"It'll make you feel better," Serena said.

He sighed.

"Elisa and I..." he began, "we were together for half a year. One night, I  
found out about her... cheating on me. She was also seeing this other guy.  
So I asked her which one of us she liked more. She said she liked us both, and  
I told her that wasn't good enough for me. So... I broke up with her."

Darien took another drink of his beer and went on, "And then that night she  
showed up at our house... I went with her and she said she'd broken it off with  
the other guy, that I was the only one now. Guess I shouldn't have believed  
her."

"I'm... I'm sorry..." Serena said softly.

"Damn it!" Darien suddenly shouted, making Serena jump a little, "What the heck  
is the MATTER with me? Why doesn't anyone like me?"

"What are you talking about?" Serena said.

"Look at Elisa. Obviously, I'm not good enough for her. I just can't make  
anybody happy."

"That's ridiculous!" Serena exclaimed, "This is HER problem! Darien, you are  
way, way too good for somebody like her."

"Yeah right," Darien said, "You wouldn't say that if you weren't feeling sorry  
for me."

"No, I'm telling the truth, " Serena insisted, "I've always thought you were a  
great guy. Fine, we've had our... many differences, but that doesn't change  
the fact that you're kind... you're caring... you're great with the kids..."

Darien turned to her and stared at her for a moment.

"It's true..." Serena said softly.

"I..." Darien finally said quietly, "I appreciate that... Meatball Head."

Serena smiled and put her hand on his arm comfortingly, "I'm sure you'll find  
the right girl one day."

Darien stared at her hand and nodded slowly, "The right girl..."

"Anyway, we should probably be getting back..." Serena said.

Darien turned to her with his eyes wide.

"The girls!" Darien said urgently, "You left them home by themselves!?"

"Of course not," Serena said, "I got Rick to come over and watch them."

Darien sighed in relief, then turned to her with a half smile.

"You really like that guy, don't you?"

"Like him?" Serena said, blushing, "I barely know him. I mean, he seems like  
a great guy, but... I'm not really looking for anything right now..."

Darien nodded and stood up with a sigh, "All right, let's get outta here."

He stood up and staggered a little.

"Whoa, how much did you have to drink?" Serena demanded.

- - -

That night...

"Good night Raye," Serena whispered.

Mina was already asleep before the story ended.

Serena shut the door quietly behind her and went downstairs to her own room.

"Hey," Darien said as he stepped into the living room.

"Hey," Serena said, "They're all tucked in for the night."

"Good."

"Yep," she said, "Well, I'm wired. The whole bar scene is just not for me...  
I'll see you tomorrow, Darien."

She turned to head to her room when Darien called after her.

"Wait," he said, "Serena, I... I have something I want to tell you."


	8. Chapter Eight

Serena shut the door quietly behind her and went downstairs to her own room.

"Hey," Darien said as he stepped into the living room.

"Hey," Serena said, "They're all tucked in for the night."

"Good."

"Yep," she said, "Well, I'm wired. The whole bar scene is just not for me...  
I'll see you tomorrow, Darien."

She turned to head to her room when Darien called after her.

"Wait," he said, "Serena, I... I have something I want to tell you."  
  
  
I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
  
Serena looked at him curiously. "What?"

"Serena, I..." Darien said hesitantly.

"What, are you feeling okay? You really shouldn't drink so much..."

Darien ignored her and stepped closer to her.

"Thanks for tonight," Darien whispered.

Before Serena could reply, he had put his arms around her possessively and was  
lowering his face to hers.

"Darien!" Serena cried as she shoved him away as hard as she could.

He stumbled back a few feet.

"What are you doing?" Serena cried.

"I just... I wanted to-"

"Never mind, I'm tired, good night!" Serena squeaked quickly and fled to her  
room, leaving a befuddled Darien alone in the living room.

- - -

Serena woke up and stared at her alarm clock.

It was a dream. It had to be a dream.

She grimaced. No it wasn't. She could see the mark on her dresser where she  
had banged her head against to clear her mind.

'What happened last night?' Serena thought with a moan, 'What could he have  
been THINKING?'

"Okay, Serena," she said aloud to herself, "Calm down. You've already thought  
about this all night and it isn't going to help. Just go out there and act  
like nothing happened."

She opened her door slowly and quietly, then peered outside.

Nope, no signs of Darien. Probably still asleep.

She tiptoed down the corridor and sneaked into the kitchen.

Okay, all clear. No doubt he was still-

"Geez, Meatball Head, do you have to be so loud?"

Serena screamed and turned around, seeing Darien coming towards her with a cup  
of coffee in his hand. He groaned and rubbed his head groggily.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Serena said, "And, I wasn't being loud!  
I was barely-"

"Okay, calm down," Darien said, his eyes dull and tired, "I'm already having a  
bad hangover. I don't need a hyper Meatball Head splitting my head open."

Serena stared at him. This wasn't the Darien from yesterday.

Then a thought occurred to her.

"Darien... What do you remember about... last night?"

Darien groaned as he tried to concentrate.

"I think... there was a bar. And there was alcohol. Definitely alcohol."

Serena studied his weary face carefully to make sure he wasn't lying.

"What?" Darien said, staring back at her skeptically, "Oh, hey, you'd better  
wake the girls up - it's almost eight."

"You have to go pick up your car at the pub," Serena told him hesitantly, "You  
got so drunk last night I had to call a taxi to get us home."

"You came and got me?" Darien said, dumbfounded.

"Yeah... Yes," Serena said, then waved her hands frantically, "But... don't  
think about it. Don't bother trying to remember anything. You know what?  
Just... Okay, last night didnt't happen. Nothing happened."

Darien furrowed his brows and gave her a strange look, "Except that you went  
bonkers..."

Serena glared at him.

"Okay," he said with a shrug, "I'll get the car, after just one last cup of  
coffee."

Serena nodded and went to make breakfast.

'So it was only because he was drunk...' Serena thought, 'But... does that mean  
he still...? No, of course he doesn't...'

- - -

"DARIEN TRIED TO KISS YOU LAST NIGHT!?"

"Keep it DOWN, Molly!" Serena hissed.

The two girls sat at the bleachers watching the basketball game during lunch  
time. A couple of students turned and stared at them as Serena tried to look  
away.

"Sorry," Molly said, "But oh my goodness, he could have been your first kiss!"

"I... I haven't even thought of that," Serena said slowly.

Suddenly, Molly let out a knowing sigh, "Oh I know what's going on."

"What?" Serena asked, leaning closer to her best friend.

"It's break-up rebound behaviour," Molly said wisely.

"Break-up bound be what?" Serena echoed.

"Darien just broke up with that girl he used to be with, right?" Molly said,  
"So, he's looking for a rebound relationship."

"O... Oh," Serena said.

"Boy, aren't you relieved? Imagine if he really were in love with you!"

Serena forced a smile, suddenly confused as to why she was feeling almost  
disappointed.

She didn't want him to like her... right?

Molly rested her head on her hands thoughtfully, "Anyway, I guess what you  
should do is... steer clear of him. Unless, of course, you want to take  
advantage of the situation."

Serena laughed, "Yeah right, Molly. Darien's... not as bad a guy as I used to  
think he was. But, I'm not in love with him. No, of course not."

"I'm just glad you got away from him when you did," Molly said, "I mean, can  
you imagine if he'd actually kissed you?"

Serena's face turned bright red.

- - -

Later that night...

"Thermos... Bandaids... Extra clothes... Jackets..."

Darien looked at each item as he put them into the three mini suitcases - red,  
blue, green.

"Serena!" Darien called, "Get me another sweater! You know how cold Raye gets  
at night."

Serena got down and put it into the suitcase, "Geez, Darien. They're only  
going on the school trip for two days. You've packed way too much stuff."

"Not everybody is as carefree and empty-headed as you are, Meatball Head,"  
Darien muttered, "Besides, it can't hurt. What if Li Li catches a cold? You  
know she hates taking medicine tablets."

Serena sighed. "Is Mina still mad?"

"Yeah. I guess she really wanted to go on this big trip too."

"I guess I should see if they're having any problems."

- - -

"Don't leave!" Mina screamed angrily, "It's not fair! If I can't go, you guys  
shouldn't go either!"

"It's not our fault," Lita retorted.

"Sorry Mina," Raye said, "But you're still in kindergarten."

"You'll get Dar Dar and Mommy all to yourself," Amy reminded her.

"But I WANNA GO TOO!" Mina cried.

Serena stepped in and sighed. "All right, Mina. If you behave, I'll give you a  
special treat."

Mina turned to her, her face still a little mad, "Really?"

"Yes, really," Serena said, then turned to the other three girls, "Now, hurry  
up and get dressed. The schoolbus will be here soon."

- - -

After the hugs and kisses, Darien, Serena, and Mina waved as the yellow bus  
disappeared down the road.

"Oh, I forgot to pack Amy's favourite book," Darien said as he smacked himself  
on the forehead.

"She's not going to a book-reading club," Serena reminded him, then turned to  
Mina, "Now, about that special treat - seeing as you have a holiday today, how  
about you and me go to Playland for the entire day?"

"Yay!" Mina cried, then grabbed Darien's hand, "Dar Dar too!"

"Let's make it a girl's day out," Serena suggested, then turned to Darien,  
"Looks like you can use a break."

Darien grinned, "When did you learn to be so considerate? All right, I'll see  
you girls later then."

"I want you to behave at home!" Serena told him jokingly.

Mina jumped up into Serena's arms and the two of them walked off to the bus  
stop. Darien went inside the house and decided to enjoy some time alone. Then  
he frowned.

'Did I forget anything else...?'

- - -

Serena and Mina came home at eight that night, with a huge teddy bear and  
bags of cotton candy.

"Are you sure you want a story?" Serena asked Mina, "Aren't you tired?"

"We're almost done Cinderella," Mina reminded her as Serena sat on a stool  
beside her bed.

"You're right..." Serena said as she found the page. "All right, here we are."

"So," Serena began, "the prince decided to look all over town to find the girl  
whose feet would fit into the glass slipper."

"Serena..." Mina said softly, "What's a prince?"

"Well, a prince is... the king's son. He's... intelligent, loyal, and  
extremely handsome," Serena answered, then added with a smile, "All the girls  
like him."

"Like Dar Dar?" Mina asked.

Serena tried to hide a smile, "Yeah, kind of like that."

"You're a girl, so shouldn't you want to be with him?" Mina asked curiously.

Serena smiled a little, "You're asking too many questions. We've got to finish  
this story or you won't get any sleep, silly."

A few minutes later, Serena put down the storybook and looked at Mina, who was  
already asleep and dreaming. She got up to open the door, then found Darien  
spying on them through the crack.

"I... I was just wandering around the house," Darien lied, "Anyway... I was  
thinking, tomorrow, maybe we can drop Mina off at her friend's. That way, when  
you get home from school, we'll have the whole night off."

"That's great," Serena said, "We've been so busy lately and-"

Just then, the telephone interrupted them.

"I'll get it," Serena said and headed for the phone, with Darien following  
closely behind her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Serena? It's Rick."

"Oh, hi Rick."

"Listen, Lita told me she and the girls are going on a field trip."

"They left today," Serena said, "Mina's a little mad though."

"I can imagine," Rick replied, "But anyway, I was wondering if you want to do  
something tomorrow."

"That sounds good," Serena said, "I'd love to get out of the house."

Darien frowned and sat down on the couch beside her.

"Great," Rick said, "I'll come by around four."

"What do you want to do?" Serena asked him.

"I'm thinking a movie and maybe something else. See you tomorrow then?"

Serena smiled, "All right, I'll be here."

Serena put down the receiver.

"Hey, listen, Darien," Serena said as she turned around to face him, "Tomorrow  
I'll be-"

"Yeah, I heard," Darien said, cutting her off, "I'm going to my room to study."

"Wha-" Serena began as Darien walked off coolly.

She stared after him for a moment.

'What was THAT about?' Serena thought.

Then it dawned on her.

'He cleared tomorrow night because he wanted to... be with me,' she realized,  
then sighed, 'I guess it's for the best anyway. He's only using me to forget  
about Elisa...'

Standing up, she stepped into her bunny slippers and went to her room.

'I just hope Darien's not mad at me...'


	9. Chapter Nine

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
  
"You sure dressed up for your date," Darien said dryly.

Serena stared down at her pink overalls.

"You're completely right, Darien," she said, "I should go change into rags."

Darien ignored her and sat down on the couch grumpily.

"And it's not a date," Serena said, "I'm just going out with a friend. I need  
to interact with people outside of this house, you know."

Darien didn't answer.

"Can you watch the door for me? I have to use the washroom..." Serena said.

Just as Serena disappeared through the living room doors, the doorbell rang.

Darien hesitated, then walked to the front doors with a frustrated grunt.

"Hey," Rick said with a smile, "How's it going, Darien?"

"All right," the older guy said, "Come on in."

Rick followed Darien down the steps to the living room and sat down on the  
couch with him.

"So, what are you two doing today?" Darien asked, trying to sound casual.

Rick shrugged, mirroring his nonchalance, "Movie... Dinner... The usual."

"The usual?" Darien repeated, "The usual... date stuff?"

Rick looked at Darien curiously, then nodded, "Yeah."

Darien scoffed. "Serena doesn't seem to think it's a date."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, she said she's just going out with a friend."

Rick took a moment before he answered.

"I see... I was hoping this wouldn't happen... I didn't know that you'd be  
jealous if we-"

Darien turned to face him directly, "I'm just trying to protect Serena. I  
don't want her going out with some loser."

"What is that supposed to-?"

"Hey guys!" Serena said cheerfully as she stepped into the room, "What are we  
talking about?"

Rick and Darien turned simultaneously to face her, then answered in unison,  
"Sports."

"I thought so," Serena said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, let's go," Rick said, standing up.

Darien stared at him meanfully as he escorted Serena out the door.

"Don't be out too late," Darien called after them, "Mina probably wants you to  
read her a story."

"I'll try," Serena said.

- - -

"Table for O'Neil," Rick said.

Serena gasped in wonder at the beautiful French restaurant Rick had taken her  
to. The elegant atmosphere of the place was overwhelming.

"Rick, are you sure we want to eat here?" Serena asked, "I won't be able to  
afford much..."

"What?" Rick said, "I'm paying, of course."

He stared at her for a moment in disbelief. Was Darien actually telling him  
the truth? Serena had no idea what he was trying to do?

"No way!" Serena said, "You already paid for the movie, which was absolutely  
ridiculous. The least you can do is let me treat you to something..."

Rick nearly fell down on the floor. Yep, she was clueless all right.

"This way please," the waiter said and led them to a small table in the corner  
of the restaurant.

The two sat down and menus were placed before them.

"Look at these prices..." Serena murmured, trying not to let the waiters hear,  
"Listen, if we leave right now, maybe we can-"

"Serena, I'm paying for this," Rick said sternly, "It's not a big deal."

"You must have a dozen part-time jobs," Serena said.

"Actually," Rick said, "My family is pretty well-off. They own a company in  
Switzerland. I pay for my tuition with my part-time job as a baseball coach  
at Lita's school, but my parents help me with the rent and everything."

"You mean you live alone in that huge house?" Serena asked in awe.

"Yeah," Rick said, "But anyway, order anything you want. It's on me."

"Well..." Serena said with a growing smile, "If you really don't mind..."

- - -

"Oh, this is so good!" Serena said, lifting a forkful of lobster to her mouth,  
"I could get used to this!"

Rick laughed, "Then come out with me more often."

Serena sighed, "I'd love to, but with Darien and the girls, I hardly-"

The familiar tone of her cell phone interrupted her. Serena looked at the call  
display and muttered, "He must have known I was talking about him..."

- - -

"Serena? It's Darien."

Darien waited for Serena to finish chewing something on the other end of the  
line.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Well..." Darien said hesitantly, "Mina won't go to sleep. I tried to tell her  
a story, but she said I don't 'do the voices right'... So..."

Serena giggled, "I should have known. Put her on."

- - -

Rick waited patiently with amusement as Serena finished her fairy tale in the  
French restaurant.

"So... Handel and Gretal returned home safely, and they were very careful from  
that day on about where they went. They knew never to go to a stranger's house  
again."

"Hey," Darien's voice came on the other line.

"Whoa!" Serena exclaimed, "Don't scare me like that!"

Darien chuckled, "Mina's asleep. Thanks."

"That's what I'm here for," Serena said, "Now, if you don't mind..."

"Right," Darien said quietly, "Well, have fun. But don't stay out late, okay?"

"Okay, dad," Serena said clicked her cell phone off before Darien could come  
up with a comeback.

"Sorry," Serena said to Rick, blushing, "It's just that... Mina's used to..."

"I know," Rick said, "You do such an amazing job with the girls."

"Thanks," Serena said brightly, "I know we've only lived together for five  
months, but I feel like I've been with them forever. They're so wonderful,  
especially Mina."

"Yeah, she's a cute one," Rick said.

"Anyway, let's finish dinner!" Serena said enthusiastically and picked up  
her fork and knife again.

- - -

"Well, good night," Rick said gently at the doorstep. Deciding to finally be  
bold, he took hold of Serena's hand.

"'Night," Serena said with a smile and gave his hand a quick squeeze, then  
broke free and walked into the house, leaving Rick dumbfounded.

"Can't believe Darien forgot to turn off the lights..." Serena muttered as she  
went inside, before noticing Darien asleep on one of the armchairs in the  
living room.

She walked over and put her hands on his shoulders, shaking him gently.

"Huh..." he mumbled, then opened his eyes slowly, "Hey, you're back."

"What are you doing out here?" Serena asked, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I... I fell asleep, I guess..." Darien said groggily.

"Were you waiting up for me?" Serena teased.

"Of course not!" Darien retorted, "I was doing my homework here, and..."

Both of them turned to stare at the coffee table with nothing on top.

"Uh, so, how was your non-date?" Darien asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh, the non-date was great," Serena said, to Darien's dismay, "Can you believe  
that Rick's family is really rich? You wouldn't be able to tell cuz he always  
dresses so casually."

"Well, that's nice," Darien said unenthusiastically, "Looks and money, what  
more can you want?"

"Stop that," Serena said, "I've told you, we're just friends."

Darien forced a smile and stood up, "All right, all right, I'm going to bed  
then..."

- - -

Raye, Lita, and Amy rushed out of the schoolbus excitedly.

"Mommy! Dar Dar!" they cried, jumping into their temporary parents' arms.

"We've missed you!" Serena said, hugging Lita tightly, "How was the trip?"

"Great!" Lita said enthusiastically.

"Did you get to see the whales like you wanted to?" Darien asked Amy.

"Yes," Amy said, "They're not what you'd quite expect from reading a textbook."

Serena and Darien exchanged smiles.

"All right," Darien said, lifting Amy and Lita up with both arms, "Let's get  
you girls inside and changed. Serena will make a big dinner and you girls can  
tell us all about the trip."

- - -

"Mommy..." Amy said as she walked into the kitchen, "Did the letter with my  
math contest results come yet?"

"I'm not sure, Amy," Serena said as she stirred the pot of roast beef, "The  
mail's in the living room, why don't you check for yourself?"

"I hope it's here," the blue-haired little girl said.

Amy found the stack of mail and rummaged through the bills and advertisements,  
a nervous smile on her face as she found her envelope.

She opened it eagerly and stared at the paper inside.

Her eyes widened in shock then in disappointment.

"Hey Amy," Darien said as he came down the stairs, "Are those your math  
results?"

Amy nodded silently and put the letter down. "I'm going to my room for a  
minute..."

Darien stared after her worriedly as she went upstairs, then went to look at  
the results himself.

"A 98..." he said quietly to himself.

- - -

Darien knocked on Amy's door and stepped inside. She was sitting on her bed  
and staring out the window.

"Amy, what's wrong?" he asked softly as he sat down beside her.

"Nothing..."

"Do you not like your math contest results?" he asked gently.

Amy shook her head, "It's a high mark..."

"Yeah, it is," Darien agreed, "You don't seem very thrilled though..."

Amy bit back tears, "I... I got a hundred last time. And the time before  
that..."

Darien closed his eyes thoughtfully, "Amy, a 98 is an excellent score. You  
don't have to push yourself so hard."

"I know, Dar Dar," Amy said, her eyes watery, "But I had a perfect record and  
now it's ruined. I want to get perfect every time!"

Darien put his arm around the little girl, "You know, Amy, that's the way I  
thought too when I was in elementary school and high school. I worked very  
hard to get to the top. Sometimes I did, but sometimes I didn't, and when  
I didn't do very well, I felt very disappointed. I was very stressed about  
every exam I write. I don't want that to happen to you."

Amy nodded, blinking away the tears.

"Even if you get a 70, or a 60, or a 50, I'd still be very proud of you. I  
know you always try your best and that's enough for me."

Amy smiled and leaned against Darien, "Really?"

"Yes," Darien said, "Don't worry so much about these things, all right?"

- - -

Serena felt her heart warm as she watched Amy hug Darien with a huge smile on  
her face. How did he make these kids so happy?

He was going to be a wonderful father one day.

She was about to push the door open fully to remind them of dinner when the  
doorbell rang.

- - -

Rick waited anxiously outside the door as he rang the bell again.

"Hey," Serena said as she opened the door.

"Hey," he answered with a smile, "I... I tried to call you last night, but..."

"Oh, my cell phone went into a coma," Serena said, "It happens every couple of  
months. Very strange."

Rick nodded nervously and took a deep breath, "Anyway, I just wanted to ask  
you... if you wanted to go to this gala on Friday night. It's this thing at  
work, and everyone's required to bring a date..."

"A date...?" Serena echoed, "I..."

"Serena..." Rick said, "If it's okay with you, I'd like to see you... on a  
regular basis. Maybe on more things like this."

Serena stared at him in shock.

Darien was right. Rick really had feelings for her.

"Rick, I..." Serena said softly, "I'm sorry, I don't... I don't think..."

Rick looked at her expectantly.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Serena finished.

"What, why?" Rick asked, "You don't already have a boyfriend..."

Serena bit her lip, "Yeah, I don't... But, I don't think I... feel that way  
about you."

Rick frowned, confused, "Serena, if there's something about me you don't like,  
I'd be happy to change it."

"No, there's nothing about you I don't like," Serena said quickly, "I mean,  
you're attractive, you're smart, you come from a great background... You're...  
you're an amazing guy, who girls would... would THROW themselves at."

Rick shook his head, even more perplexed, "If I'm as great as you say I am,  
why don't you want to be with me?"

Serena took a moment to answer.

"I... I don't think love works that way. I mean, if I'm in love with somebody,  
I, I wouldn't care about these things. It wouldn't matter if he's kind of  
mean... It wouldn't matter if... if he doesn't come from a rich family, or HAVE  
a family at all... It wouldn't matter if he likes to tease people and make fun  
of... like, of their hair. Do you know what I mean?"

Rick stared at the ground dejectedly, "I guess you're really in love with  
Darien then..."

Serena frowned, "What, Darien? What gave you that idea?"

"You just described him," Rick said simply.

Before Serena could answer, Rick nodded sullenly, "Well, I guess I won't  
bother you anymore. Why don't you think about it some more and let me know if  
you change your mind?"

Rick's eyes were pained as he turned and walked back to his house, his steps  
dragging heavily behind him.

Serena's eyes widened.

Then she put her hand over her mouth.

"Oh no," she said softly, "Oh no oh no oh no. I... I just admitted that..."

Mouth still slightly open from shock, Serena turned to go back into the house...

... and found herself face to face with Darien.


	10. Chapter Ten

Serena took a moment to answer.

"I... I don't think love works that way. I mean, if I'm in love with somebody,  
it, it wouldn't matter if he's kind of mean... It wouldn't matter if... if he  
doesn't come from a rich family, or HAVE a family at all... It wouldn't matter  
if he likes to tease people and make fun of... of their hair. Do you know what  
I mean?"

- - -

"Oh no," she said softly, "Oh no oh no oh no. I... I just admitted that..."

Mouth still slightly open from shock, Serena turned to go back into the house...

... and found herself face to face with Darien.  
  
  
I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
  
"How... how long have you been standing there?" Serena said nervously.

"Long enough..." Darien said, letting his hand rest on the side of the door  
frame, still taken aback from what she had said.

"Time... time for dinner..." Serena said, brushing past him and heading for  
the kitchen.

Darien was about to protest when he realized that he didn't know what to say.  
He frowned, his eyes darkened in confusion.

Did she mean all those things she said? Was she really talking about him?

He walked slowly towards the coffee table, still deep in thought. Then he  
saw that the letter with Amy's math results was still lying there. Absent-  
mindlessly, he put it back into the envelop and was about to put it into the  
binder he kept of the girls' things when...

He blinked, his eyebrows furrowed when he saw the letter underneath.

A letter from Harvard.

For Serena?

- - -

'Oh, what could I have been thinking?' Serena thought, kicking herself over and  
over for realizing that she had feelings for a guy and admitting it in the most  
embarrassing way possible.

She continued to stir the pot roast, trying to come up with a way to get out of  
her ordeal.

"Serena, let's talk," Darien said as he walked into the kitchen.

"About what?" she said casually, not taking her eyes from the pot.

Darien walked over and turned the stove off. Then he wrapped his hand around  
her wrist so that she would let go of the ladle.

"You KNOW what," Darien said.

Serena stared downwards, not wanting to face him. "I..."

Then she smiled a little, trying to make it seem like what she said were  
unimportant, "Okay, fine, Darien. All right. So yes, yes, I've developed some  
sort of... a thing for you. I have... very teensy, very tiny, barely-existent  
feelings... for you. Okay?"

Darien didn't return the smile. "For real?"

Serena shrugged, "I guess."

Then he put his arms around her and kissed her. Serena protested at first but  
began to grow accustomed to the experience.

Darien's kiss became more possessive, forcing her to put her hands on his  
shoulder for support.

"W... Wow..." Serena said breathlessly as he backed away slowly, "That's...  
never happened before."

"No, it hasn't..." Darien said, voice just as hoarse.

Then Serena pulled loose from him, trying to ignore the confusion and hurt in  
his eyes. "Darien... Darien, I need to know..."

"Know what?" he asked.

"I've never been... in a relationship before. And, you know, that was just my  
first kiss right there. If you want to start something, I need to know that  
it's not because of... of Elisa."

"What?" Darien exclaimed.

"I mean, you just broke up with her, so maybe you're feeling like you need to  
start a relationship right away. It's very common, and I don't know if I-"

"No!" Darien said, "No, of course not. Serena, I..."

She waited.

"I... like you."

"You have the same teensy, tiny, barely-existent feelings for me?" Serena  
whispered, shocked.

"Yes. Maybe more." Darien said with a smile.

Serena tried to hide her growing smile, "Darien..."

The two stared at each other for a moment. Then Darien broke the silence.

"What about Harvard?"

"Harvard?" Serena repeated.

"Yes, Harvard. I saw your letter. Are you going?"

"You read my letter?" Serena demanded.

"I... thought it was for me."

"Because YOUR name is also Serena Tsukino?"

Darien ignored her comment, "Are you going?"

Serena took a deep breath before she answered. "I can't believe they accepted  
me. I mean, my math and science grades are pretty bad, but they said they'd  
consider me based on the writing I did on Shakespearean literature."

"I don't understand," Darien said, "You're not graduating from high school for  
another two years."

"It's a pre-undergraduate program," Serena explained, "Supposedly for gifted  
writers and thinkers..."

Darien nodded slowly, "What an opportunity."

Serena bit her lip and didn't answer.

"Serena..." Darien said, "I know I'm sounding selfish, but... Don't go... I  
need you."

Serena's eyes widened in surprise.

"I mean, not me," Darien said, quickly correcting himself, "The girls... The  
girls need you."

"I know," Serena sighed, "That's why I didn't even know if I should apply..."

Darien took her hands in his. "Please... Consider staying..."

Serena nodded, then stared up into his dark eyes, closing her own as he inched  
closer for their second kiss...

"Mommy, I'm hungry."

Darien and Serena jumped away from each other when they saw Mina at the  
doorway.

"When's dinner?" Lita asked, appearing beside her.

"Right now," Serena announced with a smile, "Get the others..."

- - -

"I miss Grandma," Mina said quietly after dinner as Darien began to clear the  
dishes and Serena washed them, "I want to call her."

"It's past midnight in France right now," Amy pointed out.

"I know," Raye said excitedly, "We could write her letters."

Lita responded with equal enthusiasm, "Yeah, let's do that! Dar Dar, Mommy,  
can we?"

"Of course," Darien said, trying to hide his hesitation, "Come on, let's go  
upstairs to your room."

"You just don't want to help me with the dishes," Serena teased.

"Of course," Darien joked, then looked at her meaningfully as he followed the  
girls to the living room and upstairs, "We'll talk later."

Serena smiled with a blush and nodded.

- - -

After cleaning up in the kitchen, Serena sat at the dinner table, with Mrs.  
Muriel's letter in front of her.

'It's such a huge opportunity...' she thought to herself, 'I'd be giving up...  
Harvard. My parents would be so proud.'

Then she looked down at the letter, the handwriting so beautiful and neat.

'But Mrs. Muriel...' she thought, 'How can I turn back on you? Your last wish  
was for me and Darien to take care of the girls... I can't forget what you  
said to us...'

With a sad smile, Serena stood up and went out the backdoor for some fresh air.

And left the letter on the kitchen table.

- - -

"Dar Dar, what's another way to say 'I miss you lots'?" Lita asked.

"Why don't you just write 'I miss you lots'?" Darien suggested.

"Cuz Amy's writing that, and I don't want Grandma to think I'm copying her..."

Darien laughed, "All right then... Let me think..."

"I'm going downstairs for some water," Raye said.

Darien nodded all right and turned his attention back towards the busy writers.

Raye went down the steps and turned on the kitchen lights. She was about to  
get a glass of water when she noticed the opened letter on the kitchen table.

Curious, she sat down and began to read it...

- - -

'I couldn't say goodbye to the girls...' Serena realized, 'What was I thinking,  
applying for a school so far away?'

She stepped back into the kitchen and her eyes widened in shock to see Raye  
sitting at the table, her hands trembling as she put the letter down.

"Is... is it true?" Raye said shakily, "Is Grandma... gone?"

Serena opened her mouth but no sound came out. "I... Raye... Oh, I'm so  
sorry..."

"No!" Raye screamed, "No, no, no! I hate you!"

She threw the letter down and ran downstairs, with Serena chasing after her.

- - -

"It's a lie!" Raye cried as she ran into the bedroom where Darien and girls  
were, "It's all a big lie! Grandma is DEAD!"

She grabbed Mina's letter and tore it to pieces.

"Ray Ray!" Mina screamed, "You ruined my letter!"

"Grandma is gone!" Raye yelled again and again, taking the other two girls'  
letters and ripping them apart angrily, letting the pieces drop on the floor.

"What are you talking about?" Amy said, showing anger as she rarely did.

"He's been lying to us all along!" Raye cried, pointing an accusing finger at  
Darien, "Grandma's not in France. She died!"

"Raye," Darien said helplessly, "Please... please calm down..."

"No!" Raye said in tears.

Serena appeared in the hallway, eyes wet herself. Darien went to her to ask  
her what happened, when Raye shut the door behind him.

A click was heard as she locked the door.

"Raye!" Darien shouted as he pounded on the door, "Open up! Raye, unlock the  
door!"

Serena put a hand over her mouth and shook her head over and over.

"What the hell happened?" Darien said, he whispered angrily.

"I... I accidentally let her see Mrs. Muriel's letter..." Serena confessed.

Darien shut his eyes and leaned against the closed door, suddenly feeling very  
tired.

"Raye, come on!" Serena said as she tried to open the door, "Please, open up."

- - -

An hour later, the two still had no luck. Meanwhile, there was no longer any  
noise in the room.

"I guess they fell asleep..." Serena said softly.

Darien nodded wordlessly.

"Darien, I'm so sorry..." Serena said, "I didn't mean to-"

"Forget it," Darien said gruffly, "I'm tired. Good night."

Serena watched helplessly as he went downstairs to his own room.

'What am I going to do?' Serena thought desperately.

- - -

Serena stared at her alarm clock as the digits changed to 5:02. She didn't  
think she would be able to fall asleep but she did, maybe because she was so  
exhausted. Still, an uneasy feeling made her wake up earlier than usual.

She got up and slipped into her bunny slippers, leaving her room to check on  
the girls.

When she came to the doorway, she saw that the door was open.

Immediately feeling thankful, she stepped inside to see if everyone was all  
right. She froze when she saw Darien sitting on the bed, his eyes dark and  
empty.

Just as the rest of the room was.

"What happened?" Serena said softly, fearing the worst.

"They're gone," Darien said simply, "They ran away."

"What?"  
  
  
  
- Author's Notes:

Sorry about the late update.  
I had a Linear Algebra midterm.  
(And boy, it was painful!)  
Two more chapters to go for this story.

Thanks for reading.

Phantasy Star


	11. Chapter Eleven

When she came to the doorway, she saw that the door was open.

Immediately feeling thankful, she stepped inside to see if everyone was all  
right. She froze when she saw Darien sitting on the bed, his eyes dark and  
empty.

Just as the rest of the room was.

"What happened?" Serena said softly, fearing the worst.

"They're gone," Darien said simply, "They ran away."

"What?"  
  
  
I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
  
"Ray Ray, I'm hungry," Mina pouted, "Let's go home."

"We're not going home," Raye said bitterly, "It's not our home anymore. We  
don't have parents and we don't have Grandma."

Amy and Lita's eyes were downcast as they followed Raye down the street. It  
was five in the morning and they were tired and sad.

"Maybe they have a reason for not telling us..." Amy said softly.

"There's not good reason to lie to us about Grandma!" Raye cried.

"Where are we gonna go, huh?" Lita said, discouraged, "Who's gonna take care  
of us?"

"We can go find my Sunday School teacher," Raye answered, "She's nice."

"Where does she live?" Amy asked, "We won't be able to go very far without  
being noticed, and I don't think..."

She trailed off, looking at Mina's flushed face.

"Ray Ray..." Amy said, "Is there something wrong with Mina?"

Lita put her hands on her waist and frowned, "Mina, you look red. Really red."

"I feel so warm..." Mina complained, her bottom lip beginning to stick out and  
curl into a pout.

"It looks like she has a fever..." Amy said softly.

"Oh no," Raye said, "Okay, we've got to get to my Sunday school teacher's  
house fast."

"Let's just go home..." Lita said, pulling on Raye's arm.

"No!" Raye said, "I don't want to see Dar Dar or Serena! Come on, let's get  
going."

Taking Mina's hand, she led the other three girls down the street just as the  
sun started to come up.

- - -

"They can't have gotten far," Darien muttered as he went down the stairs  
quickly, with Serena following behind him.

"I can't believe I did this..." Serena whispered, eyes watering again, "Darien,  
I'm so sorry."

Darien shook his head, ignoring her.

"Please, just say something. I... I wasn't thinking, and I-"

"What do you WANT me to say?" Darien finally responded, turning around angrily  
and filling her with shock, "You want me to say that it's all right? That  
what you've done is just fine!?"

Serena blinked away tears, "I didn't do it on purpose..."

"You didn't do it on purpose, huh," Darien said bitterly, "Well, that just  
fixes everything, doesn't it? I can't believe that I actually thought you'd  
changed, that you weren't the Meatball Head I thought you were. But you're  
just as irresponsible and immature as you were when we first met!"

Serena wasn't sure if she was hurt or angry, "I didn't WANT it to happen! It's  
not like I thought it would be a good idea to let them know that-"

"It doesn't matter what you thought!" Darien shouted, "The fact is that you let  
this happen and your 'not wanting it to happen' doesn't change anything!"

He shook his head and put his hand against his forehead, "I don't have time for  
this, okay? I have to go out and find the girls."

He grabbed his car keys from the counter and headed out.

Serena's hand trembled as she locked the door. Tears streamed down her face  
as she walked to the couch and picked up the phone on the drawer top.

"Rick..." she whispered shakily, "Can you come over... Please?"

- - -

"I wanna go home," Mina pouted again, "I don't feel good... My tummy hurts."

Raye wasn't sure which way they were going so they wandered down the city  
streets, hoping that they'd come to a recognizable area soon.

"What should we do?" Lita asked Raye, "It looks like she's really sick."

"I'm dizzy..." Mina said, "I want to sit down."

Raye looked at her worriedly as the four girls sat down on a bench by the  
sidewalk. Mina's eyes slowly closed as she leaned against Amy's shoulder.

"Raye, she's fainted!" Amy cried.

Just then, a white van drove up to them and stopped. A tall blonde man wearing  
a light-blue T-shirt came out.

"What's going on?" he demanded, worry in his eyes.

"Our little sister's real sick!" Lita cried, "Please help us!"

- - -

Serena went and opened the front door. Rick stood there, staring at her with  
his face full of concern.

"Sorry for calling you so early in the morning..." Serena said softly, "Th...  
Thanks for coming over..."

"Tell me exactly what happened," Rick said as he stepped into the house, "Why  
did they run away?"

"I accidentally let them find out about Mrs. Muriel..." Serena guiltily.

Rick let out a deep breath, "No wonder... Okay, don't worry. I'll go out and  
look for them. You go call everybody they may go to."

Serena nodded, "Right. Yes, that's... that's a good idea."

Her body shaked visibly as she turned and headed back to the kitchen.

"Hey, Serena," Rick said, and she turned around.

"What?" she said.

"It's going to be okay," he said with a small but reassuring smile as he put  
his arms around her, "We'll find them."

Serena nodded, tears flowing uncontrollably down her face as her voice broke,  
"I'm so scared! I mean, what if something happened to them? What if some  
stranger came and-"

"Serena, stop," Rick said gently, "They're fine. I'm sure they are. Mrs.  
Muriel's watching over them, all right?"

Serena nodded and buried her head in Rick's shirt.

"I'm so glad you're here..." she whispered.

- - -

Raye, Lita, and Amy followed the tall man into the house as he carried little  
Mina inside.

"Rita!" he called upstairs, "You won't believe this! I found the girls out on  
the street and Mina's got a bad fever!"

"Andrew?" Rita said as she came downstairs in her pajamas, "What are you  
talking- Oh my goodness!"

She rushed over and took Mina in her arms, "Oh, poor Mina! I'll get her some  
medicine right away. Andrew, get me a wet towel."

Raye and Amy looked at each other in confusion. Why were the two strangers  
talking about them as if they knew them?

"Mina doesn't take tablets," Lita pointed out, "She only drinks medicine. And  
she won't drink it unless Mommy sings her the 'Medicine Song'."

"Medicine song?" Rita wondered aloud as she laid Mina on the couch and pulled  
a blanket over her.

"Serena made it up," Raye said quietly, "Just to get Mina to take her  
medicine."

"She made up the food dance for Amy when she wouldn't eat too," Lita said,  
giggling.

Amy's face grew red, "That was only for a while. I don't have a problem with  
eating anymore..."

"That's cuz Dar Dar said that if you don't eat, you'll get so skinny you'll  
fall into a crack in the sidewalk," Lita said as she burst out laughing.

Despite the situation, even Raye couldn't suppress a smile.

"Sounds like you have very nice people who take care of you," Andrew said as  
he brought Mina a hot towel to put on her forehead.

"We do," Lita said brightly, "Mommy's fun and Dar Dar's the best."

Raye frowned. What was going on? Who WERE these people that she and girls  
felt like they could really trust.

Dar Dar had always taught them to never talk to strangers and they never did,  
but somehow, this was different. Very different.

"Well, anyone care to explain why you were out on the streets at six in the  
morning without any adults around?" Andrew asked.

Raye stared at the floor guiltily. "We were going to run away from home."

Andrew blinked in surprise. He and Rita exchanged glances.

"What happened?" Rita asked softly.

Raye shook her head, not wanting to explain.

"Tell us, honey," Rita said gently, "Start from the beginning."

- - -

Darien stepped on the gas pedal at the green light and continued to drive  
aimlessly in the neighbourhood. He had almost covered a four block radius  
around the house, but the girls were still nowhere in sight.

"Oh great," he muttered, "Now it's raining... Just perfect..."

He turned on the windshield wipers and found himself stopping at the side of  
the street, staring down at the driving wheel.

'How could Serena have done this?' he thought to himself, 'How could she have  
let this happen? What if something happened to the girls?'

He sighed wearily.

He knew it wasn't her fault. They were going to have to tell the girls  
someday anyway. And she certaintly didn't intend to do it.

'I hope she's feeling better...' Darien thought, 'But how could she? Not after  
I yelled at her like that and stormed off.'

The guilt stabbed at him like a knife.

'She'd never like me now...' he thought painfully, 'Not after I lost it on her  
like that. She needed me to be there for her, to comfort her. And I blew up  
at her instead and made her feel worse...

He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

'Either way, the important thing right now is to find the girls...' he thought,  
determined, 'Then I can try to patch things up with Serena, if she'll give me  
another chance...'

- - -

"Mrs. Loughheed?" Serena said into the phone, "Hi, this is Serena Tsukino.  
Yes. Yes, from church. I wanted to ask you if you've seen the girls this  
morning. Oh... I'm... not sure where they are. I know. I know, I'm scared  
too. Yes, thank you for praying for them. Bye bye."

She set the phone down and traced her finger down to the next name in the  
phone book. Just then, the phone rang.

"Darien!?" she said urgently, "Did you find them?"

"Is this Serena Tsukino?" the man said on the other end.

"Yes..." Serena said, disappointed, "I'm sorry, I'm really busy right now,  
maybe I can-"

"I'm calling about the girls."

Serena froze. "What, are they with you?"

"Yes. Don't worry, they're safe. Mina's a little sick so we're going to have  
her stay with us for the night. We'll bring the girls right back tomorrow."

"Oh, oh, thank you thank you thank you!" Serena said, standing up from the  
couch, "Please, who is this?"

"Andrew Furahata," he said, "You don't know me, but I look forward to meeting  
you tomorrow morning."

"I'm sorry," Serena said, trying not to sound impolite, "but would it be all  
right for me to come over and see them right now?"

"I don't think it's a good idea. The girls are in shock about their Grandma  
right now and I think it's best to wait till tomorrow for them to see you  
again."

"Of course..." Serena said softly, "Well, here's my address-"

"I know it already," Andrew said, "Well, see you tomorrow."

Before Serena could answer, he had hung up. He knew it already? Does that  
mean he knew the girls? But he said SHE didn't know him...

'I hope the girls are safe with him...' Serena thought, 'But there's something  
about that guy's voice that makes me feel like I can trust him...'

Shaking her head to empty her thoughts, she quickly called Darien to let them  
know the girls were all right.

As she waited for him to pick up, her thoughts wandered back to the kind  
stranger.

Why did she get such a weird vibe from this guy just by hearing his voice?

Who was he?  
  
  
  
- Author's Notes:

My midterms are over! Hopefully I can update a little more often now.  
About this chapter, can anyone guess who Andrew and Rita are?  
This event is going to be the last one in the story.

Speaking of which, I'm extending this 'fic so that there will be  
two or three more chapters. I know I said one before, but I lied.  
(Yes, I do that periodically)

Thanks for reading.

Phantasy Star


	12. Chapter Twelve

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------

Chapter Twelve  
.

"I'm so glad they're safe," Darien said he stepped into the house, taking off  
his jacket, "So who's this Andrew guy?"

"I have no idea," Serena said as she closed the front door, "But I have a  
feeling we can trust him. I don't know why, but I do."

"Well, good," Darien said with a smile, "So he'll be coming over tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she said, "In the morning."

Darien turned to face her directly and sighed.

"Serena, about this morning, I..."

He paused, staring past her and at the baseball cap on the coffee table.

"Whose is that?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Um, Rick's..." Serena said, "I... I asked him to come over this morning. I  
was really scared and I just thought I needed... someone..."

"Oh," Darien said, expressionless.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Serena said softly.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Darien said.

"Anyway, since there isn't anything we can do right now, I should get to  
school."

"Right..." Darien said.

---

Darien put his notes into his bag and walked out of the lecture hall. He  
groaned at the thought of finals coming up.

'Already seven o'clock...' he thought wearily as he glanced at his watch.

He walked to the parking lot and just as he was about to open his car door,  
his cell phone rang.

"Darien Chiba," he said.

"Darien..." a voice cried softly on the other end, "I... I..."

"Elisa?" he said, "Is that you?"

"Ye- yeah..." she said, her voice breaking.

"What- Where are you?" Darien demanded, "You sound..."

"St. James Hospital..." she whispered.

"What?" Darien said, his eyes widened, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I was... in an accident."

"Okay, stay where you are, I'll be right there."

---

Elisa cried softly, ignoring the nurse's attempts to comfort her. She looked  
at her watch again.

Suddenly, the doors flew open.

"Elisa!" Darien said as he rushed in, "Are you okay? Did you break anything?"

"I'm fine..." Elisa whispered, pulling Darien in for a desperate hug, "But...  
but Michael isn't."

"What... what happened?" Darien said.

"We were driving... We had just gone to a party and I guess he had a little bit  
of alcohol in him. Then... I told him I wanted to break up."

Darien stared at her, afraid that he already guessed the rest.

"And he lost it," Elisa sobbed, "He was so mad. He kind of lost control of the  
car and we crashed into a railing. Michael's in the emergency ward right now."

"I'm so sorry," Darien whispered comfortingly, "It's not your fault..."

"Yes it is!" Elisa cried, "I shouldn't have broken up with him there! I was so  
stupid..."

"Sh, it's okay," Darien said quietly, holding her close to him.

"I... I... I told him I was still in love with you."

Darien pulled away gently.

"Elisa... you and I..."

"I know," Elisa said, "I... I cheated on you, and I'm sorry. But it's just...  
I like you so much. Even after all this you rush to the hospital to see me-"

"I would have done it for anyone," Darien said, "Please don't get into this  
again."

"I just want one more chance..." Elisa said desperately, "I... I only went out  
with Michael because I was afraid I liked you too much. I got scared, and...  
and..."

"Elisa," Darien said, "There's someone else..."

Elisa stared at him.

"Serena," Darien said simply, "I was stupid and I messed things up with her,  
but I... I'm crazy about her."

"Oh..." Elisa said, hurt in her eyes.

"I want to be here for you only as your friend," Darien said as gently as he  
could, "I'll wait with you for Michael to come out of the emergency room, all  
right?"

---

BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!

Serena groaned, her hand about to smack down on the rabbit alarm clock.

Then she sat up, startled.

Right, Andrew was coming by with the girls today.

She put on her bunny slippers and went into the hallway. Darien's door was  
open slightly and she peered inside curiously to see him sleeping. When she  
went to bed last night he was still out.

She headed into the living room and pressed the button on the answering  
machine.

"Hey Darien, it's me, Elisa."

Serena frowned.

"Thanks... Thanks for everything last night," the message continued, "I really  
appreciate it. Well... I'll see you around then."

Serena sat on the couch and stared at the answering machine. She played the  
message again.

What did that mean? Were they getting back together? What about-?

"Mornin'," Darien said as he walked into the room with a cup of coffee in his  
hand, "What's for breakfast?"

"Where were you all night?" Serena asked, going into the kitchen and opening  
the fridge door.

"Nowhere," Darien said as he followed her in, "I had class till late."

"What, so that's how it's going to be?" Serena said quietly with rising anger.

"How what's going to be?" Darien said.

Serena turned around to face him, "I mess up and you go back to your  
ex-girlfriend? I make one mistake and you want to forget you ever wanted to  
be with me?"

"What are you talking about?" Darien said, bewildered, "Yes, I was with Elisa  
last night, but we weren't-"

"I said I was sorry!" Serena cried, "Fine, I hope you two are happy together!  
And to think that I liked you, and... and that you liked me! I bet you were  
lying when you said you felt anything for me! There I am, an idiot,  
practically babbling to you, AND RICK, that I'm in love with you. I can't  
believe that I even-"

She stopped when Darien pressed his lips against her, one arm going behind her  
and pulling her close.

He pulled away slowly, and she stared into his dark blue eyes.

"I..." she said, dazed, "I..."

"We're not getting back together," Darien said gently, "I meant what I said  
before, and I'm not about to change my mind..."

Serena stared up at him, a smile tugging on the sides of her mouth, "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Huh..." Darien said thoughtfully, "Well, come to think of it..."

Serena swatted him on the arm playfully.

"Yes, I'm sure," Darien laughed.

They stared into each others' eyes for a moment, before Darien leaned forward  
again.

"Um... Andrew," Serena said softly.

"What?" Darien said, "No, I'm Darien, remember?"

Serena rolled her eyes, "Andrew's going to be here in about two hours. I need  
to make breakfast for us now and then lunch, and I need to clean up the living  
room afterwards."

"All right," Darien groaned, reluctantly letting her go.

"I can't wait to see the girls again," Serena said.

"Me too."

Serena took eggs out of fridge and began making breakfast, with a huge smile  
and a slight blush on her face.

---

"MOMMY!"

"DAR DAR!"

Darien laughed and Serena had tears in her eyes as they got down and picked  
Mina and Lita up.

"We missed you," Mina pouted.

"Your fever all gone?" Serena said.

"Yep," she said happily.

Amy hugged Darien's leg, "I was so scared, Dar Dar."

"Sh, it's all right," Darien said, lifting her up as well so that he had both  
girls in his arms.

"You must be Andrew," Serena said to the blond man who watched the whole scene  
with fascination, "Thank you so much."

"It's nice to meet you," Andrew said, "And this is my wife, Rita."

"How do you do?" Rita said.

"Well, come on in," Darien said, "Serena made lunch."

---

"Just let me take care of the food," Serena said, "Go out to the living room  
and talk to our guests."

"All right," Darien said.

Just as he was about to push open the door, Raye came in.

"Hey Ray Ray," Serena said, "You haven't said a word. I missed you."

The eight-year-old stared at the floor.

"What's wrong?" Darien said worriedly, "You have something to tell us?"

Raye began to cry, "I'm sorry Dar Dar! I'm sorry Mommy!"

Darien got down and she ran into his arms.

"I was stupid, and I got us lost, and I got Mina sick!" Raye cried.

"Mina would have gotten sick here," Darien said gently, "Nobody can control  
being sick. It's not your fault."

"I'm sorry I'm sorry," Raye said, burying her face into Darien's shoulder.

Darien looked up at Serena and they sighed.

"It's okay," Serena said, "It's all forgotten. We love you."

Raye closed her eyes and the sobs subsided.

"Now come on," Darien said, "Let's go outside and thank Uncle Andrew and Aunt  
Rita properly, okay? It's all right, Ray Ray, it's all right..."

---

An hour later, they had finished lunch and the girls were in the living room  
playing.

"Hey, you guys," Andrew said, "Could we talk to you privately for a minute?"

Serena and Darien looked at each other, then nodded.

"Sure," Darien said, "Why don't we go to the kitchen?"

Andrew and Rita followed them into the kitchen and they sat down at the table  
together.

"I made some tea," Serena said, getting cups.

She set them on the table and picked hers up for a sip, "Well, go ahead."

Andrew took a deep breath.

"All right, here goes," he said, "Rita and I... We're... We're the girls'  
parents."

Serena dropped the cup on the table and water spilled across the table.

"I... I'm... I'm sorry," Serena said, disoriented.

"What?" Darien said with hushed anger, "You two were the ones who abandoned  
the girls five years ago?"

Rita's eyes watered, "I know it sounds awful, but we didn't have a choice back  
then. Andrew just got fired from his job and when I found out I had Mina, we  
knew that... that we couldn't support-"

"So you decided to get rid of your children?" Darien demanded.

"Darien, please," Serena whispered.

"I... I know this will sound crazy at first, but... but now Andrew has his  
job back," Rita continued, "And he's become a success... And we'd like... we'd  
like to give it another try."

"You want us to give you the girls?" Serena said, astonished.

"Be... before, we could watch them from afar," Andrew said desperately, "But my  
company is relocating me to Kyoto, and... and if you'd be willing..."

"There's no way we would give Mina and the girls to you," Darien said, shaking  
his head, "How do we know you won't abandon them again?"

"Please just think about it!" Rita begged, "We love them so much, and it was  
killing us everyday not being with them! In cases like this, the court never  
favours the parents who give away their children, so if you won't help us...  
We don't have any chance."

"No," Darien said, standing up, "I don't think so. I... I think you should  
leave."

Rita and Andrew looked at each other and Rita bursted into tears.

Andrew looked at Serena pleadingly.

"I'm sorry," Serena said softly, "But I don't think we trust you enough... I  
love the girls more than anything and I don't think I can do it."

Andrew nodded, his face pained.

"Then I guess we should say goodbye to the girls," Andrew said, putting his  
hand over Rita's, "After we move we're not going to have much chance to come  
back..."

They stood up and went into the living room.

---

"Thank you Aunt Rita!" Mina said happily, "Visit us!"

"Thanks for everything," Raye said.

"Bye bye," Lita and Amy chorused.

Rita hugged them and cried, "I love you all. I'll miss you so much."

Andrew's shoulders jerked as he sobbed, "Okay, kids, take care. Work hard at  
school. You'll all be great one day."

The children were surprised, but they hugged the two kind strangers back  
politely.

"Ray Ray, I know you're going to be successful as a singer one day just like  
you always have," Andrew said, "Amy, you'll be an amazing doctor. Just work  
hard at it."

"And Li Li," Rita said softly, "You'll make a wonderful chef, I know you will.  
Mina, you'll always be the cute one in my mind and I'll never forget you."

The girls smiled and waved as the adults stood up and walked reluctantly out  
the front doors.

---

Serena and Darien watched from the doorway.

"We have to give them back," Serena said softly.

Darien didn't answer for a moment. Then he closed his eyes.

"You're right, Meatball Head," he said, unable to believe what he was saying,  
"I... I can't keep two parents away from their children."

"We've only spent half a year with them and we love them this much. Imagine  
how they must feel about their own children..."

"Yeah," Darien said softly, holding Serena close to him.

---

"So we're sure about this," Darien said.

Serena and Darien were sitting in the kitchen. The girls had just finished  
their dinner.

"Yes, you can call them tomorrow and tell them the good news," Serena said  
with a tiny smile.

Darien sighed, "All right. I'll go put the girls to bed."

Serena nodded and started to clean up the kitchen. She had just finished  
washing the dishes when she went to the table top where they kept the mail.

She pulled out the letter to Harvard.

After checking the doorway to see if Darien was still upstairs, she opened it.

She still had time to accept the offer of admission.

Sitting down on the table, she just held the piece of paper in front of her,  
feeling as if she was holding the biggest decision in her life in her hands.

'Too much is changing...' she thought, 'And... What about Darien? How can I  
just walk out on him?'

Darien was about to go into the room when he saw the letter in her hands.  
Shocked, he took a step back before she noticed him.

'It's too hard to decide,' Serena thought, putting the letter hastily back  
in the pile of mail.

"Hey," Darien said nonchalantly as he went in.

"Hey..." Serena said, looking up at him, "Well, I'm tired. I'll see you in the  
morning."

"Yeah, all right," Darien said with a nod, "'Night."

Serena went to her bedroom and Darien wandered into the living room. He sat  
down and closed his eyes.

He was already having a difficult time saying goodbye to the girls.

Was Serena going to leave him too?


	13. Interlude: It's Fate

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
--------------------

Interlude: It's Fate

---------  
---------

Serena sat at the side of her bed and hugged her knees.

'I love him,' she realized, 'Everything about him... his fatherly character,  
his strong and loving personality, his kind heart...'

She pulled her blanket tighter around herself.

'But Harvard... It's the opportunity of a lifetime. And I'd be able to see my  
parents again. Oh they would be so proud of me...'

She looked at the picture of her family on her desk.

'If I leave for America, I would have everything. To be with my parents again,  
to study in one of the top schools in the world, to finally not worry my  
parents about my future...'

She closed her eyes.

'But I'd be giving up...'

She sighed.

'... Darien.'

---------  
---------

"Coach, was it in or out?" the little boy asked.

"It was in!" the girl holding the bat argued, "Wasn't it, coach?"

"Coach Douglas!" another child hollered.

Rick snapped out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" he said, staring at the baseball field in front of him and the  
expectant children's faces. "Er, sorry, I didn't see it. Let's do a replay."

As the children started the game again, Rick sighed and his face turned blank  
again, returning to his deep thoughts.

'Why won't you give me a chance, Serena?' he thought, discouraged, 'What does  
Darien have that I don't?'

Absent-mindedlessly, he picked up baseball mitt and stared at it.

'Don't you have any idea how crazy I am about you?' he wondered, 'Serena, we  
could be so happy together... I could give you everything...'

The thought of Serena and Darien together bore a hole in his heart.

'If only you'd let me try...'

---------  
---------

Elisa picked up her pen and tried to start studying again.

She sighed, her mind elsewhere.

'Darien...' she thought longingly, 'Are you going to come back to me one day?'

She pushed her books away and stood up, walking to the window for some fresh  
air.

'How could I be so stupid... I can't believe I lost Darien because I loved him  
too much. Why did I have to get scared of my feelings?'

Her eyes watered.

'Why did I have to go out with Michael when Darien's the guy I'm in love with?  
The guy I'll always be in love with...'

She closed the window again, leaning against it and sliding down to sit on the  
floor as the tears began to fall.

'I love you, Darien,' she thought sadly, 'Come back to me... Please...'

---------  
---------

"Honey, are you finished packing?" Andrew said.

"Yes," Rita said quietly as she came into the room.

He put his arms around her, "It's going to be okay..."

"I knew that there was almost no chance they'd let us have them back..." Rita  
said softly, "But in the back of my mind, a part of me really thought they'd  
say yes."

"Me too," Andrew admitted, "But it's time to forget. We have a new life to  
begin..."

"I don't think I can do it," Rita said, "I can't be away from our children."

"We don't have a choice," Andrew said, hugging her closely.

"Maybe there'll be a miracle..." his wife said, "Maybe somehow it would all  
work out..."

"Hmm, I hope so..." Andrew said, "I hope so..."

---------  
---------

Darien lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling in the dark living room.

He suddenly felt very alone. Just a few days ago he seemed to have everything.  
Serena, the kids. People to return to when he got home everyday. People he  
could depend on, people who depended on him.

He finally had the family he wanted.

And in one day it would all be taken away from him. Everything was falling  
apart. It felt like when he was six again, when his parents left him.

'Why does everyone I love always have to be taken away from me?' he thought  
bitterly, 'Why can't I be happy for once?'

If he kept the girls here then Serena wouldn't go. But he couldn't keep them  
from Andrew and Rita.

'Can't I be the bad guy just this time?' he thought to himself, 'Can I not be  
the one who ends up being hurt again?'

He closed his eyes.

'Serena, if you knew how much I care about you then maybe you wouldn't leave  
me... But how can I ask you to stay...?'


	14. Chapter Thirteen and Epilogue

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Thirteen

.  
Darien put his hands in the pockets of his black jacket as he and Serena watched  
the girls walk quietly up to the gravestone.

"I love you Grandma," Mina whispered as she and the other girls placed beautiful  
bouquets of flowers in front of the tomb stone.

"Good job," Darien said as the girls walked back, and patted Mina's head  
affectionately, "I'm sure Grandma appreciated it."

Serena smiled sadly and looked at Mrs. Muriel's resting place one more time.

"Come on," she said to the girls, "It's cold, let's get back into the car."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Andrew was panting by the time he got to the bridge at the park to meet Darien.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" Andrew said, "I was supposed to be here fifteen minutes  
early, but there was a car accident on 5th and-"

"It's all right," Darien said.

"Please, please tell me what's going on. Tell me you and Serena have changed  
your mind about letting the girls come with us..."

Darien crossed his arms over his chest and let out a deep breath.

"Well, Serena and I have talked it over and we've come up with something that  
we both think is the best solution to everything."

Andrew nodded nervously.

"We want the girls to have their parents, but... We don't want them to move away  
with you. They've had enough changes this year as it is and I don't want them  
switching houses and school too."

"O... Oh..." Andrew said.

"Which means that you'll have to move in with them, to live here, in Tokyo.  
Mrs. Muriel has enough money left over to cover the rent for a while longer, so  
you don't have to worry about money problems for the time being..."

Darien paused, "That also means you can't take the job in Kyoto."

Andrew didn't answer for a moment.

Darien sighed, "I know this is the same dilemma you faced five years ago. You have  
to realize that the girls don't need to be well-off or have a lot of things. They  
just need their parents. And if you can't give up your career or a high salary for  
your kids, then you really don't-"

"I'll do it," Andrew interupted, a determined look appearing on his face.

Darien glanced at him, "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Andrew exclaimed, "And I know Rita will say yes too! I'm not going to  
be stupid and make the wrong decision again!"

Darien smiled slightly, "Good."

"Thank you," Andrew said gratefully, "Thank you so much for this second chance.  
I promise that my wife and I will not mess things up again."

"Then we've got a deal," Darien said.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Rita kept the door open as Andrew and Darien moved the new bed into the house.

"I can help you with that," Lita said excitedly to Andrew, "I'm really strong,  
ya know."

"Li Li, get away from all that furniture," Serena exclaimed from the couch,  
"It's dangerous."

"Aw, I wanted to help," Lita pouted.

"Why don't you go help Aunt Rita carry in her stuff?" Serena suggested.

"Me too!" Mina said and the two girls ran outside to Andrew and Rita's car.

Serena smiled and went into the kitchen.

"Hey guys," she said to Amy and Raye who were sitting at the table, "What's going on?"

"Mommy..." Amy said quietly, "Why are Aunt Rita and Uncle Andrew moving in?"

"Dar Dar told you before," Serena said, "They like you very much and want to spend  
more time with you."

The two little girls exchanged glances. Then Raye bit her lip.

"Are they our mommy and daddy?" she whispered.

Serena's eyes widened, "How did you...?"

She shook her head, not needing a response. She looked at them with concern, worried  
about their reaction.

"Yes," she whispered back, "But they're here only if you want them to be here, okay?"

Raye's eyes watered.

"Ray Ray," Serena smiled, feeling emotional herself, "There's nothing more important  
than you girls' happiness. So if you don't feel comfortable about this, or if you-"

"Are you leaving?" Amy said, tears threatening to fall.

"What?" Serena exclaimed, "I..."

The letter from Harvard flashed in her mind again.

"I'll be here until you don't need me anymore," Serena promised.

She reached over the table and pulled the two girls into a hug.

"Come on, don't cry now..."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Serena went outside to the living room and tapped Rita on the shoulder.

"Hey," she said softly, "Ray Ray and Amy want to talk to you. You too, Andrew."

The parents looked at each other, surprised.

Darien glanced at Serena and realized what was going on.

"Why don't you two go on in too?" he said to Mina and Lita gently.

Serena and Darien watched as the others disappeared from the living room.

"I hope this goes well," Serena said.

"How can it not?" Darien said with a smile, "It's a family being reunited."

"You're right," Serena said and leaned on him, "It's going to be great..."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

One month later...

Darien opened the car door as Serena got inside.

"Major presentation this morning and not enough preparation," Serena whined, "I'm  
not going to remember what to say."

"Then you can just stand up there and look pretty," Darien said as he turned the  
ignition key.

"That only works with the male teachers..." Serena complained.

Darien laughed and they pulled out of the driveway.

"Andrew's picking the girls up after school today, right?" he said.

"Yep."

"Hard to believe the school year's almost over..." Darien said.

"For you anyway," Serena said, "We don't get off till June."

"Right," Darien said.

They drove in silence for a few minutes.

"Hey," Serena said quietly, "I've been thinking..."

"What about?" Darien said.

"It feels like the girls don't need us that much anymore. They're comfortable  
with Andrew and Rita now, and..."

Darien sighed. He had been afraid of this.

"And you think we should move out," he finished for her.

"Well, maybe..." Serena said, "I don't want to, but... but I think we should..."

"Yeah, I think so too..." Darien nodded, his face unreadable, "I guess this frees you  
up... you know, in case you decide to... move someplace outside of Tokyo..."

Serena hesitated, "I've been meaning to tell you-"

"No, wait," Darien said, almost frantically, "Just hear me out, okay?"

Serena nodded.

"You mind me stopping the car for five minutes? We're early anyway."

"Sure..." Serena said.

He parked the car on the side of the road and took a deep breath.

"Serena, I know you've been thinking about going to Harvard next year, and the only  
thing that's been stopping you is the girls..."

He paused, feeling uncomfortable.

"I wanted to convince you to stay because the girls needed you, but now I guess things  
are different, and... and I... uh..."

He stared out the window, afraid that she would look at him while he said what he was  
about to say.

He sighed. "The thing is, the girls may not need you, but... but I do. You've... made  
me different, and you've made me... better. I don't know if I can do it without you.  
But I know it's an incredible opportunity for you so if you choose to go then I  
completely understand. I just want you to know the entire situation."

"I... I like you. A lot. And these past seven months, living here with you and the  
girls... it's been incredible. You're the family I've always wanted. And I've never  
cared about anything or anyone more than the five of you. It's hard enough for me  
to say goodbye to the girls. I don't know if I can handle losing you too... But like  
I said, even if you leave, I'll be here. I'll wait for you if you'll let me."

He winced. "There, I've said it. I'm done."

Serena frowned slightly.

Then she put her hand over his.

"Darien..." she said softly, "Actually, I was going to get you to drop me off at the  
post office beside my school..."

She opened her purse and took out a white envelope.

A letter addressed to Harvard.

"Oh," Darien said.

He turned away from her.

"I see. Well, okay then."

"Darien..."

"No, no, I get it," Darien said, stepping on the gas pedal and pulling out and into  
the street, "You've... weighed your options... You've made a decision. I told you,  
I understand, okay?"

His left fist was clenched as he used his right hand to steer the wheel.

"Darien, listen to-"

"I'll just go back to the way things were. Living alone in my apartment. I liked  
it, I liked having my own space. Not having to commit to anyone. What I said before,  
I wasn't really-"

"It's a letter of deferral," Serena interrupted.

It took a moment for his brain to process the information.

"What?" Darien said, finally turning to her.

"I'm requesting that... they let me go next year, or the year after instead. I told  
them I had a family here that I couldn't leave behind."

He didn't say anything.

"The girls still need me, even if I'm not living there. And I need them. There's  
also a tiny possibility I need you too."

Darien sighed in relief and finally met her gaze, his eyes full of wamrth.

"Of course," Serena continued, "It's going to be a pretty one-way relationship. You  
just told me you need me. NEED me. Who would have thought that you were the dependent  
type?"

"Serena..." Darien said warningly.

"I mean, I guess I have to stay, if you feel THAT strongly about me," Serena teased.

"I don't feel that-" Darien exclaimed, then sighed, "I do. I really do."

He stopped the car in front of the post office and leaned over to kiss his girlfriend.

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

"You're welcome," Serena said.

Then she sighed, "I guess we'll talk to Andrew and Rita about moving out tonight."

"Yeah, it's going to be hard," Darien said, "But I'll still have you, Meatball Head."

"Right back at you," Serena said.

Darien waited as Serena got out of the car and leaned back against the driver's seat.

He smiled.

Things were going to be all right.

.  
.

I Need You  
by Phantasy Star  
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Epilogue

.  
Ding dong!

"Dar Dar and Serena are here!" Mina screamed excitedly.

"Well, then go get the door," Amy said, coming down the stairs.

"Come on, Li Li!" Raye called, "They're here."

Lita rushed downstairs, "I'm coming I'm coming!"

Mina stepped forward and opened the front door.

"Happy Easter, kiddos," Darien said, dropping the bags he was carrying and swooping  
down to give Mina and Lita a warm hug.

"Happy Easter!" the girls chorused.

"You've gotten bigger!" Serena said as she kissed Amy and Raye on the cheeks.

"You say that every time," Mina smiled.

"Well it's true," Serena said, "So where are your parents going tonight?"

"I don't know," Raye said, "They were still trying to decide when they left the house."

"Well, it was our agreement that we get you girls all to ourselves for Easters and  
Christmases, so I guess they'll have to figure it out."

"Ooh, what's in the bags?" Mina said.

"Just some things we picked up for you," Darien said.

"Ooh, Street Fighters?" Lita enthused as they walked through the living room couch.

"Sorry, Li Li," Serena said, "You know how Dar Dar feels about video games."

Lita sighed and unwrapped her present. Then she gasped.

"Cookbook for kids!" she cried, "This isn't kitchen set stuff, this is real!"

"Well, you're twelve now," Darien said, "I think you've had enough practice to move on  
to the real thing - with your mom's help, of course."

"I love this red sweater..." Raye said.

"I picked it out," Serena winked, "Red is very attractive to younger guys..."

"Serena!" Darien exclaimed.

"She's thirteen now!" Serena said, "Never too early to start thinking..."

"Compact Oxford dictionaries 11th edition..." Amy whispered in awe, "With over three  
thousand definitions and variations as the 10th edition and including English language  
slang terms dating back to the fifteen hundreds..."

"Those books got me through all of university," Darien said wisely.

Finally, Mina opened her package and gasped as she took out a small white dress.

"It's so pretty..." she whispered.

"That reminds me," Darien said, "Girls, we have an announcement to make."

The four girls looked at them.

"Serena and I have decided to get married," Darien said proudly.

Raye gasped, "Really?"

"It's about time, don't you think?" Darien smiled and put his arm around Serena.

"And we'd like you to be our flower girl," Serena said to Mina, "We hope you like the  
dress."

"I do!" Mina squealed.

"And Amy, Li Li, Raye, I was wondering if you'd do me the honour of being my pretty  
bridesmaids."

"Of course!" the girls said in unison and they jumped up to hug Serena.

Darien grinned, "Good. All right, let's get to dinner then, I'm starving."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Serena sighed as she and Darien walked down the steps of the large house.

"I've missed them," Serena said, "I'm glad we decided to do the wedding here. Too bad  
about our friends in the States..."

"Well, we had the engagement party there, so they shouldn't be too mad..." Darien said.

"Hey guys," a voice called from across the yard.

"Rick!" Serena exclaimed and ran over to hug him, "I haven't seen you since forever!"

"How have you been?" he said cheerfully.

"We noticed that your house is all packed up when we came by," Serena said.

"My parents are selling it. I'm going back to New Zealand. Helping out with the family  
business, maybe settling down there if I find someone right for me..."

"That's great," Serena said.

"Hey Rick," Darien said good-naturedly but putting an arm around Serena as he went up to  
them.

"Hey man," Rick said, "Well, I'd better go. Still have a lot of wrapping to do."

The couple watched as he disappeared back into the house.

"Sheesh, Darien," Serena said, pulling his arm away, "We're getting married. You don't  
have to mark your territory anymore, okay? You don't see me getting all weird when we  
see Elisa."

"That's because she's married and has two kids," Darien reminded her.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Serena said, "She was pretty happy last time we talked to  
her though."

"Yeah, she was..."

The two got into the car and began to drive through the night.

"You know..." Serena said thoughtfully, "I feel like we did everything backwards. First,  
we had kids. Then we moved in together. And now we're dating."

"At least the getting married part is in order," Darien joked, "Although... there' still  
something we haven't done..."

"What's that?"

"Well, you know... between the moving in together and having kids."

Serena's face turned red, "Mrs. Muriel would kill you for saying something like that."

"There aren't any rules against procreation..." Darien argued.

"I meant before marriage!" Serena said.

"Won't be long now anyway..." he mused, "Then we-"

"Darien!" Serena exclaimed.

He laughed.

"I want four, by the way," he said, half-serious.

"We'll see after the first one," Serena said, "I have enough on my hands with you to take  
care of."

Darien smiled at her as the two disappeared down the road, talking about the future.

Serena sighed contently.

She had everything she needed.

The moon was bright that night.

.  
.

Author's Notes:

Well, here it is! The long-awaited ending  
to the probably long-forgotten fanfic!

Once again, I apologize for the ridiculous delay.  
Happy Easter everybody! And thanks for reading.

Phantasy Star  
March 26, 2005


End file.
